Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15th April 1452, 564 years ago – how can he still have such an influence and contribution to the world – almost 500 years after his death?

More accurately known as Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, given that da Vinci is an indicator of birth place, Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian (Florentine) polymath from the 15th Century. A polymath is someone whose expertise spans a large number of different subjects or areas. He is well known for such notable work as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Vitruvian Man.

Leonardo da Vinci (biography.com)

His interests extended far beyond art and anatomy though, branching into architecture, music, botany, cartography, literature, mathematics and engineering. He was, and remains, however renowned primarily as a painter but his technological ingenuity should rightly be revered. He conceptualised armoured fighting vehicles, concentrated forms of solar power and flying machines. While relatively few of his designs were constructed and tested some entered the world mostly unheralded. Some were not even feasible given the level of industry progress at the time.

Tank Design By Leonardo da Vinci – Bortolon, The Life and Times of Leonardo, Paul Hamlyn

Leonardo’s fascination with the phenomenon of flight led to several flying machine designs such as a flapping ornithopter (an aircraft that mimics the flapping of wings like a bird) and a machine with a helical rotor. Some of his designs were later constructed in the beginning of the 2000’s and it seems he had a mix of successes and some that, required further development.

Flying Machine (Helicopter) http://www.leonardodavincisecrets.com/invention.html

Flying Machine (Ornithopter) https://www.tes.com/lessons/ZR0tAYSiEUf6sA/da-vinci-invention-drawings

Since a large number of his designs and inventions were never formally published or produced – their influence at the time was lesser – however they have gone on to influence countless generations of Engineers and Designers since.