Leonardo Da Vinci

LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519). The term Renaissance man was coined to describe the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo devised plans for prototypes of a plane and a helicopter almost five hundred years before the Wright brothers launched their first aeroplane! Back in his time, Leonardo was already at work on ways to enable people to fly in human-powered machines.

His ideas often came from nature. He observed birds in flight and made detailed drawings of their movements. He also dissected birds to examine their bones and muscles. His observations led him to conclude that birds flew by condensing or compressing the air beneath their wings. One of the earliest and best known of his ideas was an 'ornithopter' with flapping wings. Only later did he design craft with fixed wings. Unfortunately, none of Leonardo's machines was ever destined to fly because he did not fully comprehend the theory of lift as we know it today. Another problem was that engines did not exist at that time. His designs were based on using people as the power source.

Nowadays, we have modern materials which are both light and strong that have made such flight possible. It is known that Leonardo conceived of a helicopter-type craft which was to rise into the air with the aid of a spiral propeller system mounted on board the flying machine. Again, it could not have worked.

Other inventions include an unusual navigating system, resembling a headpiece which was used to move a combined cross-shaped elevator and directional rudder. He also designed a pyramid-shaped parachute.

He was a man of very many achievements in so many areas of human endeavor that his like has rarely been seen in human history. One of his most famous creations was the 'Mona Lisa', and another the exquisite 'Last Supper', painted on the wall of the dining hall in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. These tremendous works of art alone would have assured him enduring fame as an artist, but they should not obscure the fact that he was also a man of science who did serious investigations into the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, mechanics, and engineering.