In 1797, Andrew Garnerin was the first person recorded in history to jump with a parachute without a rigid frame. Garnerin jumped from hot air balloons that went as high as 8,000 feet in the air. Garnerin also invented the first air vent in a parachute intended to reduce oscillations.

Parachute Records
Joseph Kittinger holds the world record for the highest-ever parachute jump (74,700 feet) and the longest free fall (4 minutes, 36 seconds).

• History of the Parachute
• Photo Credit: Getty Images/Photographer John Foxx