Štefan Banic
Encyclopedia
Štefan Banič was a Slovak
inventor who devised a military parachute
, the first parachute ever deployed in actual use.
Born in Neštich (hungarian Jánostelek), Austria-Hungary
(now part of Smolenice
, Slovakia
), Banič immigrated to the United States and worked as a coal miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania
.
Having witnessed a plane crash in 1912, Banič constructed a prototype
of a parachute in 1913 and tested it in Washington, D.C. before U.S. Patent Office
and military representatives, jumping first from a 15-storey building and subsequently from an airplane
in 1914. Banič donated his patent
(No. 1,108,484) to the U.S. Army
. He received little fame or fortune for his invention.
Although the idea of parachutes was known long ago, and Banič's invention is a radically different type of a parachute from the type known today (it was a kind of umbrella attached to the body), it was the first parachute known to be actively used, saving the lives of many U.S. Air Force
aviators during World War I.
After World War I Banič returned to Slovakia
where he helped to explore the Driny
karst cave in the foothills of the Little Carpathian Mountains
, close to his hometown of Smolenice
.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
inventor who devised a military parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
, the first parachute ever deployed in actual use.
Born in Neštich (hungarian Jánostelek), Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now part of Smolenice
Smolenice
Smolenice is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. It is 60 km northeast of Bratislava and 25 km northwest of Trnava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
), Banič immigrated to the United States and worked as a coal miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Located along the Shenango River, Greenville is roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Greenville is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 570,000 people...
.
Having witnessed a plane crash in 1912, Banič constructed a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
of a parachute in 1913 and tested it in Washington, D.C. before U.S. Patent Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
and military representatives, jumping first from a 15-storey building and subsequently from an airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
in 1914. Banič donated his patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
(No. 1,108,484) to the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He received little fame or fortune for his invention.
Although the idea of parachutes was known long ago, and Banič's invention is a radically different type of a parachute from the type known today (it was a kind of umbrella attached to the body), it was the first parachute known to be actively used, saving the lives of many U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
aviators during World War I.
After World War I Banič returned to Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
where he helped to explore the Driny
Driny
Driny is a limestone cave in West Slovakia in the Little Carpathians Mountains. It is located around 2 km southwest of the village of Smolenice.The cave's entrance altitude is 399 m....
karst cave in the foothills of the Little Carpathian Mountains
Little Carpathians
The Little Carpathians are a low, about 100 km long, mountain range, part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountains are situated in Western Slovakia, covering the area from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a very small part called Hundsheimer Berge is situated south of Devín Gate in...
, close to his hometown of Smolenice
Smolenice
Smolenice is a village and municipality of Trnava District in the Trnava Region of Slovakia, on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. It is 60 km northeast of Bratislava and 25 km northwest of Trnava...
.
External links
- US1108484 Parachute patent