Born: 22 December 1868, Germany
Died: 26 July 1935
Country most active: Germany
Also known as: Miss Polly
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
Käthe Paulus was using parachutes long before she invented the compact foldable version that would become the standard. As a balloonist and aerial acrobat, she made the literal and figurative leap from sewing balloons and parachutes to using them in 1893 when she was 24. Less than a year later, however, Hermann Lattemann—her partner in both life and performing—died when his parachute failed. It is little wonder that, having watched him fall to his death, she had a nervous breakdown and fell into depression. Only a year later, their four-year-old son died of diphtheria, exacerbating her own condition. Paulus, not surprisingly, became obsessed with the equipment failure that had killed the man she loved.
Encouraged by letters from fans, Paulus eventually returned to performing, developing her own aerial acrobatics show and taking it around the world to international acclaim. She would ascend in a balloon 516 times and complete 147 parachute jumps, but all the while Lattemann’s death continued to haunt her. So, she decided to make a better version.
At the time, parachutes took up significant space and their lines twisted easily in the wind. Paulus created a system of carefully folding a parachute with carrying lines fastened directly to the fabric—when a jumper triggered the release mechanism, the whole thing would unfold more safely and reliably. After the start of World War I, Paulus retired from performing and patented her parachute in 1915 when she was 46. Today, a plaque marks the Berlin house she shared with her mother at Gotthardtstrasse 105, where the two women produced hundreds of parachutes. By 1916, the Prussian Ministry of War had recognized the value of Paulus’s work, ordering 7,000, as well as employing Paulus as an expert to advise German balloon reconnaissance troops. Paulus hired seamstresses to help fill the order but reportedly cut each individual parachute herself.
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Katharina “Käthe” Paulus was a pioneering figure in the field of aviation. She is renowned for her significant contributions as an inventor, particularly for developing the first collapsible parachute in 1910. This innovation initially termed the “rescue apparatus for aeronauts,” revolutionized safety for aeronauts and had profound implications during World War I, with Paulus producing about 7,000 parachutes for the German forces.
Paulus’ achievements extended beyond her inventive prowess. She was an accomplished aeronaut, recording over 510 balloon flights and more than 165 parachute jumps. Her dedication to aerial endeavors made her the first professional female air pilot in Germany and the first German woman to perform aerial acrobatics. This period was marked by the prominence of hot air balloons, which were at the forefront of technological advancements in the late 19th century.
Tragedy struck Paulus’ life when her husband, Hermann Lattemann, also an accomplished balloonist, died during a joint jump in 1895. Despite this personal loss, Paulus found the strength to continue her career. Under the stage name Miss Polly, she embarked on a European tour, displaying her skills in theatrical and acrobatic performances, which included unique acts like riding a bicycle suspended from a balloon.
Paulus’ last balloon jump was at 63, marking the end of a remarkable career. She passed away on July 26, 1935, at 66.