A Crowd Gathers at Dawn
On February 4, 1912, a crowd assembled beneath the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Among them was Franz Reichelt, an Austrian-born tailor who had developed a wearable parachute suit. He had told officials he would drop a dummy from the first platform. Instead, he intended to jump himself.
The Suit and the Setup
Reichelt arrived wearing his invention, a 9-kilogram suit made of fabric, rods, and rubber. He had previously tested it with dummies from lower heights, with little success. Despite friends urging him not to proceed, he climbed to the 57-meter platform at around 8 a.m. Police had approved the test on the condition it be unmanned.
The Jump
At 8:22 a.m., after hesitating for about 40 seconds, Reichelt leapt. The parachute failed to deploy. He fell straight to the ground, striking the frozen soil and dying instantly. A film crew recorded the entire event.
Aftermath and Investigation
Authorities examined the suit and confirmed it had not opened. Reichelt had suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries. The footage was later shown in newsreels across France. His death was ruled accidental by investigators.
