THE DAY THE FIRST PARACHUTE JUMP

The world's first parachute descent is celebrated in today's Google doodle.

The moving illustration pays homage to Andre-Jacques Garnerin's feat, accomplished from a balloon over Paris' Parc Monceau on October 22, 1797.

At the time of his daring leap, Garnerin was 28-years-old, while his seven-metre silk parachute bore more resemblance to an umbrella than the high-tech equipment used today.

He plunged to earth from a height of 3,00 feet and escaped uninjured.

Following the jump, he was granted the title Official Aeronaut of France and he went on to become a well-known international figure.

Garnerin died in Paris at the age of 54 on August 18, 1823 while working on a new balloon.

He met his death when he was struck by a falling beam on the construction site where the balloon was being built.

Garnerin became an international celebrity following the leap and was awarded the title of Official Aeronaut of France.
His wife, Jeanne Genevieve Labrosse, was also a balloonist and the first ever female parachutist. The couple visited England in the early 1800s and took part in several balloon flights while in the country. 

You may also see ANDRE-JACQUES GERNERIN

Google has changed the design of its homepage to celebrate Andre-Jacque Garnerin’s jump on October 22 1797 from a balloon above Parc Monceau in Paris.

The Frenchman used a seven-metre silk parachute resembling an umbrella to ease his path to the ground.

When Garnerin’s balloon reached 3,000 feet above the park, he cut his basket loose and opened the parachute.

Visitors to Google’s homepage can now recreate that leap using their right and left arrow keys to guide the path of their parachutist safely towards the ground.

The French daredevil emerged from the basked unscathed, despite it jerking in the air and a violent landing.

THE DAY THE FIRST PARACHUTE JUMP 2013-10-22T09:35:00+02:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown