VRANCIC, FAUST Parachute Invention

Faust Vrancic (b. Sibenik 1551-d. Venice 1617), was a typical Renaissance “homo universalis”. A notable scholar whose interest comprised mathematics, physics, phylosophy and technology, he spent some time at the court of the German emperor Rudolf II who was also the sovereign to the Croatians, Hungarians, and Czechs. His major work was “Machine Novae” (New Machines), printed in Venice at the beginning of the 18 century, with the pictorial (49 etchings) and textual descriptions of 56 different technical constructions. He had anticipated the numerous technical inventions which were to be applied later to water or wind powered machines, to mills, ships, boats and excavators. His most interesting invention was, certainly, a parachute or “Homo volans” (The Flying Man) as called by Vrancic himself. Faust Vrancic performed a jump with his parachute somewhere in Venice in order to test it. This fact is explicitely stated in a book written by English bishop John Willkins (1614-1672), secretary of the Royal Society in London, only 30 years after the jump. The title of his book which contains this important testimony about Faust Vrancic is Mathematical Magic of the Wonders that may be Performed by Mechanical Geometry, part I: Concerning Mechanical Powers Motion, part II, Deadloss or Mechanical Motions, published in London in 1648.

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See Vladimir Muljevic: Hrvatski znanstvenici Antun i Faust Vrancic, Encyclopedia Moderna, god. 14, II, Zagreb, 1993.