Štefan Banič (23.11.1870 - 2,1.1941 Smolenice, Trnava district) Štefan Banič - inventor of the parachute, honorary member of the US Air Force. In 1913 Banič produced the first usable parachute, employing the same principle as an umbrella. This was patented in the USA on 25.th of August 1914 as number 1108484. The parachute was opened through a system of cords and the design overcame the problem of drifting. Banič was born into a family working in agriculture, and emigrated to the USA in 1907. There he worked as a farm labourer and miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania. He returned to Slovakia in...