Today’s Google page has an animated and interactive Doodle celebrating the first parachute jump—at the end of the eighteenth century.
The Mirror gives the background:
The moving illustration pays homage to Andre-Jacques Garnerin’s feat, accomplished from a balloon over Paris’s Parc Monceau on October 22, 1797.
At the time of his daring leap, Garnerin was 28-years-old, while his seven-metre silk parachute bore more resemblance to an umbrella than the high-tech equipment used today.
He plunged to earth from a height of 3,000 feet and escaped uninjured.
Following the jump, he was granted the title Official Aeronaut of France and he went on to become a well-known international figure.
Here’s a screenshot, but go to the Google page to play. You can navigate around the page, making Garnerin jump prematurely, or run into obstacles, by navigating with the four arrow keys on your computer. You can land him in the desert, or in Antarctica with the penguins.
For Ceiling Cat’s sake, why are you reading “The Mi**or?
“If you relly want to know, look in the Mirror!”
That was the old add for the paper a few yeas ago…
I’m still not sure if we should be referring to these as Goodles or as Doogles….
b&
“You can land him in the desert, or in Antarctica with the penguins.” Just what we need! More amusing distractions 🙂
I found this this morning and got distracted. I landed on a steam boat! 🙂