Parachute Day (Parashūto no Hi)

What Is Parachute Day?

October 22 is Parachute Day in Japan. On October 22, 1797, the Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin descended by parachute from a balloon at an altitude of roughly 900 meters above Parc Monceau in Paris. It is considered the world's first descent using a parachute without a rigid frame. His parachute was a cloth canopy about 7 meters across, and although he swung wildly on the way down, he landed safely. The Japan Parachute Sports Federation designated the day to commemorate this descent.

A Brief History of the Parachute

The idea of the parachute existed before Garnerin.

• Da Vinci's sketch: Around the end of the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci drew a parachute made of cloth stretched over a pyramid-shaped frame. In 2000, a jump using a device based on his drawing showed that it could actually work.
• The man who named it: In 1783, Frenchman Louis-Sébastien Lenormand jumped from a tower with an umbrella-like device and is credited with popularizing the word "parachute" (something that guards against a fall).
• A hole at the top: Garnerin's first parachute had no air vent at the top, so it swung heavily during the descent. It was later found that a vent at the top reduces the swinging, which led to improvements.

The Garnerin Family and Early Adventures in the Sky

Garnerin's family also played a major role in the early history of the parachute.

• The first woman to jump: Garnerin's wife, Jeanne-Geneviève Garnerin, made a parachute descent in 1799 and is considered the first woman to do so.
• His niece, too: His niece, Élisa Garnerin, performed parachute descents across Europe in the early 19th century.
• From show to safety device: Parachutes were originally a spectacle at balloon shows, but in the 20th century they became practical devices for escaping from aircraft.

Parachute Trivia

• Terminal velocity: A falling object stops accelerating when gravity and air resistance balance out. For a skydiver in a spread-out position, this is said to be around 200 km/h. A parachute increases air resistance to slow the fall to a safe landing speed.
• The reserve chute: Skydivers always carry a reserve parachute in addition to the main one. This idea of a second line of defense applies to backups at work as well.
• Rectangular parachutes: The rectangular "ram-air" parachutes used in most skydiving today fill with air to form a wing-like shape that can be steered.
• Used in space, too: Many capsules returning from space open several parachutes after re-entering the atmosphere to slow down.

Ideas for Parachute Day

• Check the "reserve chutes" in your work and life, such as data backups and emergency contacts.
• Take one small step toward something you've been hesitating to do.
• Watch a skydiving video or footage of a space capsule landing under parachutes.
• When planning a project, start by thinking about how it should end — your landing point.

A Day to Remember Courage and Preparation

Parachute Day on October 22 is a day to remember the courage of a man who came down from the sky with a single sheet of canvas more than 200 years ago. The first parachute swung wildly, but after many improvements, the technology is now used to bring spacecraft home. Bold challenges and preparation for the unexpected — the history of the parachute teaches us the value of both.