In 1912 a visionary named Franz Reisfeldt had an idea. Reisfeildt, a tailor with nothing but an understanding of fabric, a dream and perhaps too much time on his hands, constructed a suit that would allow him to fly. All he needed was a point high enough for him to jump- Enter the Eiffel Tower.

As you can imagine, the city was abuzz with excitement. This was, after all, before cable television and the internet so the people were understandable hungry for quality entertainment. As with most innovation, it was a plan so simple that no one had thought of it before and, if they had, were probably put off by the whole “jumping off the Eiffel Tower” portion of the plan. Franz Reisfeldt was not dissuaded, he was, after all, a tailor. He theorized that if you that if you fashion a suit of clothes with enough folds the resistance will keep you afloat- much in the same way the mighty ostrich will float for hours in lazy circles above.

On a warm day in 1912 John Reisfeldt stood at the parapet of the Eiffel Tower. He gave a triumphant wave to the crowd below, put his seat in the upright position, turned off his electronic equipment and he jumped.

The flight time was a little quicker than he imagined and the landing a little more sudden but for a brief moment Franz Reisfeldt flew. Unfortunately, this was followed by an immediate and very quick descent.