The last image of Franz Reichelt, an Austrian-born French tailor who is remembered for jumping to his death from the Eiffel Tower while testing a wearable parachute of his own design.
Like all parachutes, Reichelt’s idea relied on the increasing the surface area of a falling person in an attempt to slow their descent, but instead of being attached to an overhead canopy, his parachute would be integrated into the flight suit itself.
Reichelt’s suit had a number of extra panels and flaps that would deploy as a person was in freefall. Or at least that was the idea.
In 1912, he arranged to stage a highly publicized demonstration of his suit in which he would jump off the first deck of the Eiffel Tower, over 180 feet up.
The event took place on Sunday, February 4, 1912. Reichelt arrived at the Eiffel Tower on that chilly morning already wearing his parachute suit, peacocking for the 30-some writers, photographers, and other press who had gathered for the demonstration.
After showing off his suit a little bit, Reichelt ascended to the first stage of the tower, finally making it clear to all assembled that he planned to make the jump himself, convinced that the weight of his body and added height would make the suit work correctly. His friends and attendants tried to dissuade him from jumping, or to call the event off due to the wind and cold. But Reichelt was immovable. As can be seen in a grainy period recording of the event, Reichelt climbed on a stool placed on a table to raise him over the guardrail, and prepared to jump. He stood poised on the rail for over 40 excruciating seconds, before diving off the edge.
Reichelt’s suit failed to deploy correctly, seeming to wrap and tangle around him, turning him into a torpedo. He plummeted straight down and perished instantly. This was also caught on film:
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