1769-1823

French balloonist who made the first public parachute demonstration in Paris in 1797. Garnerin was actually a balloon inspector for the French army, but in his spare time decided to develop a method to allow aeronauts to safely reach the ground if their balloon failed. His highest jump was from 8,000 feet (2,438 m) in England in 1802. The great majority of parachutes retained the fundamentals of his design until very recent advances were made.