Käthe Paulus

Katharina “Käthe” Paulus was a German exhibition parachute jumper and the inventor of the first collapsable parachute. At the time, the parachute was named, 'rescue apparatus for aeronauts' in 1910. The previous parachutes were not able to fit in a case like apparatus worn on the back, thus Paulus' invention became of paramount importance for the Germans in World War I and she produced about 7000 parachutes for the German forces. During World War I Paulus created approximately 125 parachutes a week. Paulus was also credited with inventing the drag 'chute, an intentional breakaway system where one small parachute opens to pull out the main parachute.