Leonardo da vinci biography inventions

As well as being responsible for world-famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper , the Renaissance man was also a highly talented anatomist, zoologist, geologist, mathematician and military engineer to name but a few , whose insatiable curiosity about the world around him knew no bounds. During the course of his life — from his early days in Florence, right through to his final years in France — the polymath sketched out ideas and recorded scientific investigations on thousands of sheets of paper, gathered today in volumes known as codices.

How many inventions did leonardo da vinci make

Among his numerous scientific interests, Leonardo harboured a particular obsession with flight. By studying the anatomy of birds, he hoped to build a machine that would one day allow humans to join them in the skies. Whether lying horizontally or standing in an upright position, the pilot would have operated the machines using pedals and levers — very much relying on their physical strength to get off the ground and stay airborne.

As well as building machines that would enable humans to soar up into the clouds, Leonardo was also interested in creating devices that would allow people to descend from great heights. In a drawing found in the Codex Atlanticus , Leonardo depicts a contraption resembling a parachute, constructed from reinforced cloth and wooden poles. Of the numerous contraptions Leonardo invented for his patrons, one of the simplest — but most effective — is a portable wooden bridge that appears in the Codex Atlanticus.

Designed to help armies cross bodies of water, the bridge is made up of several notched wooden poles, erected without the need for any screws or other fastenings.

Where did leonardo da vinci live

As demonstrated by modern replicas like that pictured above , the pressure created by the interlocking beams keeps the whole structure firmly in place. A more famous military invention, sketched c, is also found in the Codex Atlanticus. While there is no evidence to suggest a working prototype was ever built, Leonardo believed that the sheer sight of such weapons would strike fear into the hearts of the enemy.

The weapon — although never built — was deliberately designed to be intimidating Image Credit: Public Domain. Among them is the armoured car that appears in the Codex Arundel below , which has often been likened to a modern tank. Conceived in c, the conical vehicle is depicted with cannons around its full circumference, allowing it to attack from degrees.

Crucially, the soldiers inside the tank would have been protected from enemy fire thanks to metal plates reinforcing its wooden shell.