Parachutes

Parachutes were first used in WWI by artillery observers in observation balloons. When an observer saw an enemy aircraft, he would leap from the balloon and use his parachute to float to the ground. The parachutes used by the balloon crews were attached to the observation balloon, and then they were torn free when the man in the balloon jumped out. The observer would be wearing a waist harness and the weight exerted on it from the man jumping would pull the parachute from the balloon.

The parachute was then used by pilots. This early version of the parachute was difficult to store in the tiny planes, and often got tangled in the falling plane. Only German pilots used parachutes during the beginning of the war, because the allied leaders thought if they gave their pilots parachutes they would bail out rather than fight or save the plane.

Then a Kentuckian by the name of Solomon Lee Van Meter, Jr. received a patent for his backpack design parachute, which featured the ripcord. This new parachute design was then adopted by pilots, and proved more useful than the older version that was difficult to store and operate.