Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan - The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci

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	1452: Leonardo da Vinci is born on April 15 in the town of Vinci in Florence, Italy.
1467: Leonardo apprentices at Andrea del Verrocchios workshop in Florence.
1482: Leonardo moves to Milan, Italy. He begins keeping his famous notebooks.
1485: Leonardo makes the first sketches for inventions such as a flying machine, a tank, and a giant crossbow.
	1488: Leonardo designs the viola organista.
1490: Leonardo begins work on a bronze horse statue for the duke of Sforza.
1490: Leonardo draws Vitruvian Man. Artist and pupil Salai moves in with Leonardo.
1493: Leonardo sketches ideas for an aerial screw, a possible precursor to a helicopter.
	1495: Leonardo begins The Last Supper. It will take him two years to paint.
1496: Leonardo draws the three-dimensional shape models for his friend Luca Pacioli.
1497: Leonardo finishes the painting The Last Supper.
1498: Leonardo sketches a flying machine in his notebook.
	1500: Leonardo returns to Florence. His father dies four years later.
1502: Leonardo begins sketching the Golden Horn Bridge, a single-span bridge across the Horn River.
1502: Leonardo begins working for Cesare Borgia as a military engineer.
1503: Leonardo begins one of his most famous paintings, the Mona Lisa. He likely works on this painting during the course of several years and it is still in his studio when he dies. The Mona Lisa now hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
	1505: Leonardo returns to studying flight, but he is never able to create a self-propelled human flying machine.
1507: Leonardos uncle Francesco dies and leaves his estate to Leonardo.
1508: Leonardo studies anatomy again. He visits the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Florence at night.
1513: Leonardo moves to Rome, Italy, to work for a new patron.
	1516: Leonardo moves to France at the invitation of King Francis I.
1519: Leonardo dies in Cloux, France, at age 67.

Even though Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) lived more than 500 years ago, people are still building and using his inventions. Artists are still studying and learning from his paintings and drawings. In fact, he is one of the most respected artists and scientists in history.

Back in his own day, Leonardo was considered one of the most talented artists and inventors. This is quite an honor, considering Leonardo lived during the Renaissance, a time when many great artists and thinkers made their marks on the world. Michelangelo (14751564), Raphael (14831520), and other talented artists were also creating at this time. What made Leonardo so special? How did someone who didnt even go to school become one of the greatest artists and inventors of all time?

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why was the Renaissance a time of great art, invention, and discovery?

WORDS TO KNOW

Renaissance: the period in European history between the 1300s and 1700, which was marked by dramatic social, political, artistic, and scientific change.

technology: the tools, methods, and systems used to solve a problem or do work.

botany: the study of plants.

anatomy: the study of the bodies of humans, animals, and other living things.

astronomy: the study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, and space.

spiritual: relating to the mind and spirit instead of the physical world.

Middle Ages: the period of time between the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, from about 350 to 1450 CE. It is also called the Medieval Era.

CE: put after a date, CE stands for Common Era and counts up from zero. BCE stands for Before the Common Era and counts down to zero. These are non-religious terms that correspond to AD and BC. This book was printed in 2021 CE.

clergy: a priest, monk, minister, or other person ordained by the church.

priest: a member of the clergy in Christianity who leads religious services and performs rites.

monk: a man who lives in a religious community and devotes himself to prayer.

Leonardo wasnt rich and famous. He didnt have a lot of money to buy expensive equipment and supplies. Many people describe him as being a genius or having some kind of mysterious gift. But Leonardos gift wasnt mysterious. Leonardos secret was that he wanted to understand the world around himhe was extremely curious. This curiosity drove him to work hard to learn everything he could.

Leonardo did three important things that made him different from everyone else.

1.He was dedicated to observation.

2.He never stopped asking questions.

3.He used the power of imagination.

Do you know people who do these three things in todays world? After relying on religion for answers for hundreds of years, many people in Leonardos time were just starting to be aware of how much there was to learn about the world. How might Leonardos life and work have been different had he been born during a different era? To answer that question, lets take a closer look at the Renaissance.