André-Jacques Garnerin (January 31, 1769 - August 18, 1823) was the inventor of the frameless parachute. He was born in Paris. His early experiments were based on umbrella-shaped devices. He was captured by British troops during the first phase of the Napoleonic Wars 1792-1797, turned over to the Austrians and held a prisoner in Buda in Hungary for three years. After his release, Garnerin was involved with the flight of hot air balloons. He carried out the first jump with a Silk parachute on October 22, 1797 at Parc Monceau, Paris. Read more