Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Republic of Venice
Science • Historical Archive • 🇭🇷 Republic of Venice • 1 views

Faust Vrančić 🇭🇷

Faust Vrančić (Known as "Fausto Veranzio")
Polymath, Bishop of Csanád, Inventor, Lexicographer, Engineer
Born c. 1551 🇭🇷 Šibenik, Republic of Venice
Passed Away 1617-01-17 Venice, Italy, Republic of Venice
Lifespan 66 years old
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Notice / Correction
"A man with a square canopy of canvas may safely throw himself down from a high tower without injury."

Archival Overview

Brilliant Renaissance humanist, bishop, and polymath whose 1615 treatise 'Machinae Novae' presented 56 visionary technological designs, including the first functional rigid parachute ('Homo Volans').

Biographical Record

Faust Vrančić was born in Šibenik circa 1551. Educated in humanities and sciences in Padua and Venice, Vrančić served as secretary to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II at the imperial court in Prague, consorting with Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler.

In 1595, he published a pioneering five-language dictionary (Latin, Italian, German, Croatian, Hungarian). In his 1615 engineering masterpiece Machinae Novae, Vrančić depicted suspension bridges, wind turbines, and the famous 'Homo Volans'—a square parachute with which he successfully tested jumps in Venice, proving aerodynamic deceleration.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Church of Saint Mary of Grace (Sveta Marija od Milosti)
Prvić Luka, Island of Prvić, Croatia
GPS: 43.7270, 15.8010
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