When were parachutes officially used?

It was officially used in the 1730s. With the advent of balloons, in order to ensure the safety of aerial personnel, parachutes on acrobatic fields began to enter the aviation field.

The parachute originated in China. In the early days, some people in China grabbed umbrellas with their hands and jumped from the house. This was the prototype of the parachute.

As early as 100 BC in the Western Han Dynasty's "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the Five Emperors", there are records of the application of the parachute principle. Historian Sima Qian wrote in his book: "Gusou still wanted to kill him, so he asked Shun to go up to paint the den, and Gusou set fire to the den from below. Shun defended himself with two hats and went down, and he won't die." The story he told was that in ancient times, a man named Shun once climbed to the top of a granary. Gusou lit a fire from below. Shun used two bamboo hats to jump down from the top and was not burned to death. This is the earliest record of the application of the principle of parachute in mankind. According to legend, around 1306 AD, during the enthronement ceremony of an emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, such a show was performed in the palace: acrobats used giant paper umbrellas to leap from a very high wall. Down. Due to the use of the principle of air resistance, the artist landed safely on the ground. This can be said to be the earliest practice of skydiving. The book "The Falling Umbrella" published by Japan in 1944 wrote about this incident. The book said: "The French missionaries who returned from Beijing discovered the following documents. In the emperor's coronation ceremony in 1306, the acrobat used a large umbrella made of paper. Jump off the high wall and perform for the ministers. "The "American Encyclopedia" published in 1977 also wrote: "Some evidence shows that as early as 1306, Chinese acrobats used parachute-like devices." This skydiving acrobatic show later spread to some countries in Southeast Asia, and soon spread to Europe. By the 17th century, various parachuting acrobatic performances were popular in European countries. Umbrellas were also changed from paper to cloth or silk, and their shapes were changed from round to various shapes.

Other information shows that the parachute was first invented by the Arabs. More than 1,000 years before the Wright brothers invented the airplane, an Arab made an aircraft out of wood and a cloak. His aircraft is considered the first prototype of a parachute.

In the 1830s, with the advent of balloons, in order to ensure the safety of aerial personnel, parachutes on acrobatic fields began to enter the aviation field. According to foreign information, at that time, someone made a parachute with a hard silk frame, which was placed outside the balloon basket in a semi-open state. There was a parachute under the parachute, which was tied to the person's body. If the balloon crashed, that is, Land by parachute. This may be the earliest parachute used in aviation activities. After the advent of the airplane, parachutes were further improved in order to save pilots in the event of a plane crash. In 1911, a parachute that could fold and package the parachute, parachute rope, etc. and place it in the cabin and was suitable for pilots to use appeared. Parachutes were first issued to bomber crews in 1914.