Leonardo da vinci inventions sketches

It’s something of an understatement to say that Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was a ‘genius’.

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.

In this article we delve into Leonardo’s notes and pick out 10 of his most impressive inventions and feats of engineering – some of which foreshadow innovations of more recent times.

1.

Ornithopters

Among his numerous scientific interests, Leonardo harboured a particular obsession with flight. By studying the anatomy of birds, h