I look like an umbrella with strings. They use me in aviation, cosmonautics, motoring or sports. Leonardo da Vinci first started thinking about me already in the Middle Ages. His design from 1480-1483 has been preserved to this day. Later in the 18th century, I was used to rescue a damaged hot air balloon. At that time, silk was used for my production, which was suitable due to its strength and light weight. Slovakian Štefan Banič is also among the important people who contributed to my modern development. In 1913, he created his own umbrella-shaped parachute. The structure was attached around his body in the chest area. You had me patented, but experts doubt that I really worked. The American army bought me from him. In the twentieth century, aviation began to develop rapidly. Parachutes were needed to rescue the pilots. My old predecessors were too bulky and could not be used. That's when a Russian inventor packed me into a backpack that pilots carried on their backs using harnesses. After the Second World War, a large number of parachutes ceased to be used for their intended purpose. Experienced parachutists started jumping for fun and thus a new sport was born - parachuting.