Leonard Da Vinci

Early Childhood Leonardo was born April 15, 1452 in Tuscany, Italy. His parents never married, and not much is known about his mother. His father, Ser Piero, was a Public Notary. He had two brothers, Francesco and Violente. At age 5, Leonardo went to live with his grandfather.

Contributions to Society Renaissance painter, sculptor, musician, architect, engineer, mathematician, anatomist, scientist, philosopher

The Artist Da Vinci’s most famous artistic works include The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.

The Engineer Well-known for inventing the bicycle, parachute and helicopter, Da Vinci also invented the swing bridge, a dredger, rotating cranes, water turbines, a compass, ball bearings, armored cars, submarines, double-hull boats, underwater breathing devices, life buoys, swim fins and a canal system which is still in use today. These are only a few amazing inventions.

What Most People Don’t Know About DaVinci He invented the scissors. He invented contact lenses. He created the first textbook of human anatomy. He had a great singing voice. “ Leonardo DaVinci was like a man who awoke too early in the darkness while the others were all still asleep” – Sigmund Freud

Da Vinci’s Death After being paralyzed on his right side for two years, in spring of 1519, DaVinci became quite ill for several weeks. He died on May 2 at the age of 67, and is now buried at the Chapel of St. Hubert.

Extras Did you know that DaVinci wrote all of his notes in mirror writing? Instead of writing left to right, he wrote backwards. There are many theories about why he wrote this way, but no one knows for sure. Why do you think he did it? To try mirror writing for yourself, click the mirror. If you would like to try your luck at figuring out some of DaVinci’s machines, click the robot.

Sources www. mos.org/sln/Leonardo The End FINIS

Created by Ellen Weber, Speech/Language Pathologist 6/14/07 EXIT

Tuscany Tuscany (tus-can-y) is one of 20 Regions of Italy. The capital is Florence. Tuscany is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and is well- known for its landscapes, its wine, and its artistic legacy. Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, and Michelangelo were all born in this region.

Glossary anatomist – a person who studies the physical structure (body) of a plant, animal, or other organism. architect - a person who designs and oversees the building of large structures, such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Philosopher - a person who pursues wisdom and understanding of the laws and nature of reality. public notary – a person who is legally empowered to witness and certify documents. sculptor – a person who carves shapes out of wood, stone, or clay, or casts those shapes in metal.

Renaissance Man ren-ais-sance – a rebirth. The name given to the period of the 14 th century when Europe experienced a revival of classical art, literature and learning. Renaissance Man – a man having expert knowledge in many areas. Leonarda da Vinci was considered a “Renaissance Man” because he was a talented artist, he could design and build machines and systems, and he was a very knowledgable scientist.