On October 22, 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute descent from a balloon at an altitude of about 3,200 feet over Paris. The parachute was a silk canopy attached to a basket, and the descent was a thrilling and dangerous spectacle for the huge crowd. Garnerin's jump proved the viability of the parachute for escaping a damaged aircraft, though the innovation was initially a source of entertainment and awe.

The parachute jump added a new and visceral dimension to the 'aeronautical sublime,' an idea that writers would explore as a metaphor for both spiritual transcendence and the perilousness of human ambition. It introduced the concept of controlled descent from the heavens into literature, which was later used by poets as a symbol for the fall from grace or the return to earthly reality. The event was celebrated in popular broadsheets and verses.