the traceable history of skydiving starts with andre-jacques garnerin who made the first successful parachute jump from a hot air balloon in 1797. the first intentional freefall jump with a ripcord-operated deployment is credited to leslie irvin in 1919.

the united states military developed parachuting technology  to save aircrews from emergencies aboard balloons and aircrafts - this later devloped as a method to deliver soldiers to the battlefield. nowadays, parachuting is performed as a recreational activity, and competitive sport, alongside its first use of deploying troops in battles.