Franz Reichelt the Flying Tailor

In an era of off-the-wall inventions, Franz Reichelt was determined to cement his place in history with his suit-parachute. Reichelt has his place in history; but not for the reason he hoped. The Austrian tailor believed that he could craft a suit that would double as a parachute, and what better place to test it but the highest structure of the time: the Eiffel Tower. Fortunately, the event was captured on film in 1912 allowing us to shake our heads almost a century later.

Reichelt secured permission to jump from the Eiffel Tower by telling authorities he would first test the suit with a dummy. With more confidence in his suit than it warranted, Reichelt skipped the test run and went all out. You may have inferred by now how this ends. After free-falling for almost 5 seconds from a height of 60 meters Reichelt hit the lawn like a sack of potatoes.

Franz Reichelt was one of the last "birdmen": guys who thought they could achieve flight by attaching an assortment of appendages to themselves. We admire Reichelt's conviction and determination, but only wish it could have been accompanied by a little common sense.

Enjoy this video which concludes with police measuring the hole Reichelt left in the lawn:

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