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Štefan Banič - A Man with his own Slice of History

In 1913 Slovak inventor Štefan Banič constructed a prototype of a parachute and demonstrated his invention on June 3rd 1914 by jumping from a 41-storey building in Washington, D.C. In the same year he successfully jumped from an aeroplane and was awarded the first U.S. Patent for such a device.

Štefan Banič was born on November 23rd 1870 in Neštich, a part of Smolenice, in Slovakia (at that time Austria-Hungary). As an employee of the Hungarian Count Pálffy, he was dismissed from his job for trying to improve conditions for fellow workers and the townspeople. For his Slovak consciousness he was refused enrolment to high school and in 1907 he emigrated to America in search of a better life, and remained there until 1921.

He worked in New York, and its surrounding areas, Pennsylvania and in the town of Greenville as a coal miner and stonemason. At night he attended technical school and during the day he worked for the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company where he improved productivity through his innovative ideas. He was conversant in the English language, which is reflected in his petitions for a U.S. Patent and the technical descriptions of his parachute device.

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In 1912 Štefan Banič was the witness of a tragic accident that impressed him so much, that he started to think about the construction of the parachute. A year later, he built the prototype and on August 25th 1914 his parachute was officially patented (U.S. Patent no. 1,108,484). Later on he donated his patent to the U.S. Army whose pilots used it during the World War I. and thus he saved the life of thousands of aviators. In appreciation he was made an honorary member of the Army Air Corps (now Air Force) and the Society.
Although the idea of parachutes was known long ago, and Banič's invention was a radically different type of a parachute than the type known today, it became an important invention in the history of the World War, and the whole of modern aviation.

In 1920 he returned home to his home country. After his return his attention was drawn to the Carpathian Karst and he was one of the first co-founders of the cave „Driny“. He died in his home village of Neštich on January 1, 1941.

In 1968, on the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Czechoslovak republic, a monument was built above his grave. On the 100th anniversary of his birth, a plaque was unveiled at his house and a statue erected at Bratislava airport. In the museum Molpír one room is dedicated solely to Štefan Banič.

On August 25, 1989, the community of Greenville, Pennsylvania, celebrated the 75th anniversary of Stefan Banic's invention and his contribution to the world of parachuting. It was a gala celebration with the U.S. Army and Air Force officials participating in the first such tribute to Štefan Banič in America.

In cooperation with the Municipal Authority of Smolenice and Museum Molpír in Smolenice

Sources:
www.smolenice.com
www.slovakopedia.com
www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil
www.freepatentsonline.com

By Beata Pašková, Anton Chrvala
Photo: A. Chrvala, The Municipal Authority of Smolenice, iStockPhoto