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Article Dans Une Revue Journal of the Siam Society Année : 2021

The Parachute, a French Invention of Distant Siamese Origins

Résumé

The invention of the parachute, belongs to the French physicist Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, born in Montpellier on May 25, 1757. The idea arose in his mind while reading a passage of the Description of the Kingdom of Siam of Simon de La Loubère, envoy extraordinary of King Louis XIV to the court of King Phra Narai in Ayutthaya. On December 26, 1783, provided with a paraphernalia of parasols and rods, Lenormand launched himself from the top of a six-meter tree and verified the softness of a fall which was comparable to the acrobatics witnessed by La Loubère. He immediately undertook the calculations of air resistance, of volumes, and of the appropriate surfaces for a parachute veil to obtain the slowest descent. In doing so, he transformed an acrobatic entertainment into an experiment in physical mechanics : the invention of the parachute had taken place.
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Dates et versions

hal-03624555 , version 1 (30-03-2022)

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  • HAL Id : hal-03624555 , version 1

Citer

Olivier de Bernon. The Parachute, a French Invention of Distant Siamese Origins. Journal of the Siam Society, 2021, 109 (2), pp.95-101. ⟨hal-03624555⟩
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