Greenville in Mercer County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Štefan Banič

(1870-1941)

— Parachute Inventor —

Štefan Banič Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2021

1. Štefan Banič Marker

Inscription. Slovak immigrant from
Neštich, Slovakia
Banič was a resident of Greenville, Pa. from 1907–1921 where he invented a parachute. It was successfully demonstrated in Washington, D.C. on August 3, 1914, and shortly thereafter from a U.S. Army airplane. Banič received the first U.S. patent for a parachute, August 25, 1914.

Plaque presented by
The Slovak Museum & Archives
Jednota Estates, Middletown, Pa.
to the
Greenville Railroad Park & Museum
August 1990

Erected 1990 by Slovak Museum & Archives.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical date for this entry is August 3, 1914.

Location. 41° 24.469′ N, 80° 22.868′ W. Marker is in Greenville, Pennsylvania, in Mercer County. It can be reached from the intersection of Main Street (Pennsylvania Route 358) and Union Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located on the south side of the Greenville Railroad Museum Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 314 Main Street, Greenville PA 16125, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwestern Pennsylvania

and in Greater Erie. It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Wreck Train Chain (a few steps from this marker); Switch Stand (a few steps from this marker); Bessemer Caboose #1985

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(a few steps from this marker); Railroad Crossing Lights (a few steps from this marker); Position Signal Light (a few steps from this marker); Bessemer Ore Jenny #20567 (a few steps from this marker); Steam Engine #304/604 (within shouting distance of this marker); Union Pacific Caboose #25437 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.

Also see . . . Štefan Banič. Wikipedia entry:

Banič immigrated to the United States and worked as a coal miner in Greenville, Pennsylvania. After witnessing a plane crash in 1912, Banič constructed a prototype of a parachute in 1913 and was granted US patent, No. 1,108,484. The design was radically different from others — it was a kind of umbrella attached to the body — but it is sometimes claimed that he successfully tested it in Washington, D.C. jumping first from a 15-storey building and subsequently from an airplane in 1914. He donated his patent to the U.S. Army — but there is no evidence that it was ever used.

(Submitted on February 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Štefan Banič image. Click for full size.

via Wikipedia, unknown

2. Štefan Banič

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2021

3. Štefan Banič Marker

Greenville Railroad Park Museum image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 15, 2021

4. Greenville Railroad Park Museum

(marker visible at ground-level on left/south side)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,120 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on February 12, 2026, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on February 1, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.