Franz Reichelt : Parachuting from the Eiffel Tower
- travelkev
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
In 1912, an Austrian tailor jumped to his death from the first-level platform of the Eiffel Tower. The jump had been an attempt to prove the value of his invention – a wearable parachute – then much in demand for the early days of aviation. The Paris police had given permission for the test but on the understanding that a dummy would be thrown over, not a live human. For a parable of designing your tests in a responsible and appropriate manner, read on...
A Cold Morning in Paris for Franz Reichelt
On a freezing cold Sunday morning in Paris, on the 4th of February 1912, a car pulled up to the Eiffel Tower carrying Franz Reichelt and two friends. Despite the early hour of 7am, a crowd of curious onlookers had already assembled and were being held back from the base of the tower by ropes set up by the police.
