As a Renaissance artist, inventor and scientist, Leonardo Da Vinci lived a hundred or more years ahead of his time. He was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. Hence “Da Vinci” - translates of “Of Vinci” - a town just outside Florence. His full name was, in fact, “Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci” - Leonardo - Son of Piero of Vinci. His father was a wealthy and renowned man in the area.

Leonardo Da Vinci was famous for the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and other paintings, as well as designing (but never building), a Helicopter, a Iron man(robot), a tank, a SubMarine and many other wonderful contraptions. He also studied anatomy, as well as physics and mechanics.

Leonardo Da Vincis Robot Leonardo Da Vincis Helicopter Leonardo Da Vincis Tank Leonardo Da Vincis Submarine

This was probably a direct result of Leonardo’s fathers choice to make him an apprentice to the workshop of Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. Leonardo had access to many literary and scholarly texts in his fathers home.

Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France. His memory will probably live on for all time.

He was dyslexic - and wrote backwards in his notebooks - to make it harder for others to plagiarise his work.

Leonardo Bibliography

  • Leonardo Da Vinci - Sherwin B. Nuland. A Biography of this great man. I will say it is often worth reading biographies - as you can sometimes learn something of the genius that was behind all of his creations.