Leonardo Da Vinci's Incredible Inventions

By | October 23, 2019

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Multi-barrelled gun, sketch by Leonardo da Vinci. Source: (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), is the penultimate “Renaissance Man.” Known best for his paintings of The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, Leonardo’s interests spread far beyond the arts and into engineering and science.

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Self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Source: (Wikimedia Commons)

Leonardo da Vinci was born near Florence in 1452. He was apprenticed to the famous artist, Andrea del Verrocchio of Florence. At age 25, he left his apprenticeship for individual commissions until he became the court artist for the Duke of Milan at age 30. Despite being anti-war, he designed military weapons or at least proposed designs for them. Later, he worked in various cities in Italy including Rome, Bologna, and Venice. As mentioned, he is most renowned for his art, but Leonardo kept extensive notebooks which chronicled among other things, proposed inventions mainly for military use. From gliders to submarines, Leonardo’s far-reaching vision encompasses land, air, and sea which were brought to life by sketches he made in his private notebook.

This article will look at eight of his more curious inventions. Most were never made in his time, but almost all foreshadowed machines invented in later centuries.