Last year, the first female to parachute from an airplane was recognized in an exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum. The girl who accomplished this incredible feat was a 15-year-old named Georgia “Tiny” Broadwick.
In 1908, she jumped from a hot air balloon and floated more than 1,000 feet down to Earth.
She was only four feet and eight inches tall and weighed 85 pounds, earning her the nickname of Tiny. She went on to leap from the sky about 900 times and changed the way of parachuting forever.
Broadwick was born in 1893 in Oxford, North Carolina. She was the youngest of seven daughters. She got married at the age of 12 and had a daughter named Verla Jacobs by 13.
After her husband abandoned her, she worked in a cotton mill to support her child.
In 1907, she watched the parachuter Charles Broadwick jump from a lofted balloon at the North Carolina State Fair and was instantly intrigued. She approached Broadwick, expressed her desire to join his troupe, and persuaded him to teach her the act.
He agreed, and she soon made her first public jump in 1908 at a carnival in Raleigh. For someone so tiny, she was a big hit, and spectators lined up to witness her performances. He ended up legally adopting her, and she took his name.
Broadwick’s early jumps were mostly from hot air balloons, but she eventually transitioned to airplane jumps. On June 21, 1913, in Los Angeles, California, she became the first woman to parachute from a plane.
She hung from a trapeze-like swing and free-fell at 2,000 feet in the air. She landed safely in Griffith Park.
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Later that year, she became the first woman to parachute into a body of water, specifically Lake Michigan. In 1914, the U.S. Army invited her to demonstrate parachute jumps.
A malfunction occurred during one of these demonstrations—the static line got tangled in the aircraft’s tail assembly.
Broadwick cut the static line and deployed her parachute manually. She is credited with the first use of the ripcord method, which was later patented by Floyd Smith. This innovation became a standard feature in parachute design and has helped improve aviation safety.
Throughout her career, Broadwick experienced several mishaps and rough landings in which she broke bones. Still, she never lost her enthusiasm for jumping. She showed working-class people that even those who didn’t grow up with money could break into aviation.
Her final jump was in 1922, when she was just 29 years old. She had ankle problems that prevented her from continuing as a parachutist.
Overall, her courage and contributions have helped advance the field of parachuting, paving the way for women in aviation. Broadwick died in 1978 at the age of 85.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
