Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor architect and writer. As the archetype of the Renaissance Man, da Vinci experimented with many different professions during his lifetime. Although many know him as the artist behind the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, he also produced a number of technical drawings and theories, including a rudimentary flying machine and a preliminary theory of plate tectonics.Live Science: Leonardo Da Vinci's 10 Best Ideas

A science journalist investigating da Vinci's "Codex on the Flight of Birds" notebook discovered what appears to be a self-portrait drawn in the 1480s. The pencil sketch, revealed after months of digital work and reported on February 28, 2009, shows Da Vinci in his 30s.Telegraph: Leonardo da Vinci self portrait discovered hidden in manuscript (February 28, 2009)

1. The Mona Lisa
2. The Last Supper
3. The Vitruvian Man
4. The Virgin on the Rocks
5. Madonna of the Yarnwinder

1. Scuba gear
2. A self-propelled wooden vehicle
3. An early helicopter
4. A triple-barreled cannon
5. A revolving bridgeLive Science: Leonardo Da Vinci's 10 Best Ideas

• 1452: Born out of wedlock in Vinci, near Florence

• 1469: Moves to Florence and enters the studio of Andrea Verrocchio

• 1474: The Annunciation (earliest known independent painting)

• 1481: Leaves Florence; Offers services to Duke Sforza as military engineer, sculptor, and painter

• 1490: Vitruvian Man shows proportions of human body

• 1490-1494: Codex Leicester (studies on mathematics, geometry, weights, hydraulic machines)

• 1490-1505: On the Flight of Birds results in designs for parachutes gliders and flying machines

• 1495-1497: The Last Supper

• 1508: Commissioned by Louix XII

• 1513: Works in Rome as engineer for Giuliano di Medici

• 1516: Completes Mona Lisa

• 1519: Dies on May 2nd in the castle of Clos Luc in Amboise, leaving his netbooks to Francesco Melzi

• 1566: Melzi shows Leonardo's anatomical drawings to art historian Giorgio Vasari

• 1590s: Leonardo's papers come into the possession of Pompeo Leoni who takes them to Madrid

• 1610: Leoni dies in Madrid

• 1625: Accession of Charles I to the throne. He obtains Leonardo da Vinci's Saint John the Baptist

• 1649: Execution of Charles I. Leonardo's Saint John now at the Louvre

• 1760: Reign of George III begins. Leoni's album is discovered in a chest in the royal household

• 1930: All drawings from the Leoni volume are removed to be conserved and displayed

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