While sketches of parachutes existed as far back as Leonardo da Vinci, Louis-Sébastien Lenormand made the first recorded successful jump in 1783. He jumped from the tower of the Montpellier observatory using a rigid-framed 14-foot parachute. Shortly after, André-Jacques Garnerin developed the first frameless, silk parachute, which could be folded and stored. Parachutes were initially used as a spectacle for entertainment and as an emergency escape for hot air balloonists. Their military importance exploded during WWI and WWII with the development of paratrooper units. The invention changed the nature of combat and rescue, and paved the way for modern extreme sports and the safe return of space capsules.