The extraordinary life of Leonardo da Vinci

The extraordinary life of Leonardo da Vinci
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Leonardo da Vinci’s achievements are so numerous and prolific that it is difficult to narrow them down to the most important ones. It is safe to say that if da Vinci had not existed, the world would be a different place. Not only did he paint some of the most important works of art ever created, but he also extensively contributed to the fields of engineering and anatomy.

From the way the heart works to the first flying machine, click through to learn about da Vinci’s life and achievements.


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10 of Leonardo da Vinci's Greatest Inventions
Story by Daniel Bonfiglio

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the greatest geniuses in all of human history. An inventor, artist, engineer, and biologist all in one; he was the original Renaissance man. He painted the Mona Lisa, used nature to help him come up with new scientific principles for flight and propulsion, and championed pacifism in the process. But, for somebody so smart he made some pretty dumb designs. I mean, most of these are still pretty genius for their time.

Leonardo was obsessed with flight and spent decades researching birds and scientific principles associated with lift. He designed gliders, human-propelled bird-like flying machines, and even a helicopter. But while each of these was revolutionary for their time, propulsion was an issue he never solved. Gears and pulleys were supposed to help augment a human's strength to operate such machines themselves, but there's a reason we're not birds. Some people even speculate that he wanted four people to run in a circle to power his helicopter. He especially should have known better.