You may not have realized this, but the first modern parachute was invented over a century before the Wright brothers conducted their first successful take off. Tuesday's Google Doodle paid tribute to the 216th anniversary of André-Jacques Garnerin's first historic parachute jump. Though, in all honesty, it wasn't really much of a jump.
According to an illustration depicting the event, Garnerin had his parachute opened while he floated upwards in a hot air balloon. The parachute was attached to the balloons basket instead of Garnerin's chest. All Garnerin needed to do was detach the balloon from the parachute and allow it to ferry him back to the ground. Probably not as impressive as one might have thought, but considering it's the first parachute jump in history, it's quite news worthy.
Tuesday's Google Doodle allowed users take on the role of Garnerin himself in a mini game. The parachute pilot sets his balloon to catch the wind and later ride it down. Within the game, Google created a mini version of 19th century France, complete with men in top hats and women in large, billowy dresses.
Google's Doodle won't allow you to crash Garnerin, however; players can land in different spots. He can rejoin his crowd of adoring fans, play with birds by landing on the top of a tree, or hang out with whales and penguins if he fell in the ocean. No matter where Garnerin lands, he'll still tip his hat to celebrate the occasion.
As the New York Times puts it:
"He ascended in a balloon to an altitude of more than a mile and jumped with nothing more than a silk canopy...[H]is canopy had a tendency to swing so violently from side to side that he often had a bad case of motion sickness by the time he reached the ground."
Garnerin's wife Jeanne-Genevieve became the first female parachutist in 1799, and Garnerin himself died on August 18, 1823 after a wooden beam fell on his head as he was creating a parachute for a balloon launch. The man died doing what he loves best, and as such, we salute him.
