Every year on July 26, an unofficial professional holiday is celebrated in Ukraine – Day of the parachutist (skydiver). This event was started in 1930.

The day of the parachutist in history

Parachute is a special device for safe descent from a great height. Skydiving is an extreme aviation sport consisting of jumping, flying and performing various stunts on a parachute.

Leonardo da Vinci is recognized as the inventor of the parachute, who drew sketches of this device back in 1485. British parachutist Adrian Nicholas proved this fact in 2000 by building a parachute based on da Vinci’s drawings and successfully landing on it. The parachute in its modern form appeared thanks to Louis-Sebastien Lenormand at the end of the 18th century.

Interesting facts about parachutists

• The first skydiver was a dog.
• The primary task of a parachute is to save life.
• Skydiving began to develop on the territory of Ukraine in the 1930s.