Balloon and parachute. Historical artwork of a parachute suspended from the basket of the 'Royal Vauxhall' hot air balloon. It took off from Vauxhall Gardens in London, England on 24 July 1837 with Robert Cocking in his parachute beneath. After rising to 1.5 kilometres, Cocking released his parachute, which tragically failed. It was too heavy and the stitching was not strong enough to prevent the canopy disintegrating during the descent. Cocking died from injuries sustained during the fall. He was the first person ever to die in a parachute accident. Published in A system of aeronautics...by John Wise, Philadelphia, 1850.