Štefan Banič (Slovak pronunciation:[ˈʂcefamˈbaɲitʂ]; 23 November 1870 – 2 January 1941) was a Slovak inventor who patented an early parachute design.[1]
Born in Jánostelek (Slovak: Neštich, Smolenická Nová Ves), Austria-Hungary (now Smolenická Nová Ves, a part of Smolenice, Slovakia), Banič immigrated to the United States and worked as a coal miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania. After witnessing a plane crash in 1912, Banič constructed a prototype of a parachute, and on August 25, 1914 was granted US patent, No. 1,108,484.[2][3]
The design which was radically different from others – it was a type of umbrella attached to the body, but it is claimed that he successfully tested it in Washington, D.C. jumping first from a 15-story building and subsequently from an airplane in 1914.[4][5] He sold his patent to the U.S. Army, although there is no evidence that it was ever used.[3]
In 1997, US skydiver Slavo Mulik, also born in Slovakia, created the Stefan Banic Parachute Foundation[6] which offers bronze, silver and gold medal awards to individuals involved in events, promotions and/or celebrations of skydiving, in memory of Banic.[7]
In 2006, Slovak military paratroopers installed a memorial plaque at his birthplace in Smolenice.[8]
In 2020, Slovakia issued a €10 silver coin depicting Banič.[9]
Trnava – Boleráz airport, near Smolenice, carries Banič's name.
