The first modern design for a parachute was sketched by Leonardo da Vinci in about 1485. However, the first use of atmospheric drag to slow the movement of a falling person was in ancient China. In Historical Records by the second-century BC historian Si Ma Chian, there is a story about the emperor Shun (who is said to have lived in the twenty-third century BC) in which he is cornered by his enemies on a roof, but escapes by holding two large bamboo hats in his hands in order to fall safely to the ground. While that story may be mythological, we do know that circus performers in China used similar methods to fall gracefully from significant heights from 200 BC onwards.