Google Doodle celebrates 216th anniversary of world’s first parachute jump

London – Google is commemorating the 216th anniversary of the world’s first parachute jump that was dared by Parisian Andre-Jacque Garnerin in 1797.

The doodle is based on Garnerin’s daring leap on October 22 1797 at Parc Monceau in Paris, which saw the then 28-year-old leap from a balloon using a seven-metre silk parachute that resembled an umbrella.

According to the Independent, once the balloon reached a height of approximately 3,000 feet, Garnerin severed the rope that attached it to his basket, automatically opening the parachute.

Garnerin had just the attached silk parachute in place to decrease the speed of the basket’s fall and despite the landing being violent, he somehow emerged totally uninjured.

The report said that after the epic leap, Garnerin was granted the title Official Aeronaut of France and he went on to become a well-known international figure.

Andre-Jacque Garnerin died in Paris at the age of 54 on August 18, 1823 while working on a new balloon.