The Renaissance Man
Have you ever heard the term “Renaissance man”? To those who haven’t, it refers to somebody who is highly skilled in a wide range of fields. Many consider the epitome of the term to be the life and work of Leonardo Da Vinci. And for good reason: Da Vinci’s artistic expertise is remarkable, his inventions incredible. He pioneered the parachute, helicopter, scuba gear, as well as breathtaking painting techniques all while being a talented musician and scribe (little is known of his athletic ability, however). Nevertheless, many of Da Vinci’s creations influence modern devices; like the airplane. Today, I’m going to show you 5 of Da Vinci’s most influential theories and inventions.
Da Vinci Understood Why Mountains Form
5) Plate Tectonics. During Da Vinci’s era scientists posited that mountains were formed underneath the pressure of the great flood. Though unsophisticated, Da Vinci counter-theorized that mountains were the result of massive land plates smashing into each other. 400 years later we know Da Vinci’s theory to be fact.
The Moon as a Melting Pot For the Sun and Earth's Light
4) Earthshine. Besides understanding the heliocentric nature of our solar system (an understanding shared by some scholars pre-Copernicus), Da Vinci theorized why a crescent moon glows in a complete, ghostly outline. He believed that sunlight was reflected off of Earth’s oceans and was re-reflected by the moon’s oceans. Of course, we now know that the moon has no oceans and that earth’s glow is primarily caused by clouds, making Da Vinci only partially right.
Modern Recreation of Da Vinci's Machine Gun
3) The Machine Gun. The fundamental design of the modern machine gun was invented by Da Vinci. His design featured 1 primary combustion chamber that led into multiple projectile barrels. Da Vinci’s machine gun was 7 times more powerful than the leading firearms of his time.
Looks Sort of Line a UFO
2) Armored Tank. Apparently Da Vinci had a knack for inventing machines of war. His armored tank would have provided mobile, armored artillery the likes of which had never been seen. Oddly, in the machines designs, Da Vinci geared the wheels to steer in opposite directions—suggesting that he never wanted the machine to be used for war.
A Fair Representation of Man's Collective Knowledge
1) Vitruvian Man. Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man symbolizes enlightenment more than any other drawing. It represents man’s pursuit of knowledge and scientific fact, (which during the millennium prior was considered a form of heresy). Many of the scientific facts that we understood since elementary school (like the heliocentric theory, for example) were absolutely revolutionary in the 16th century. Modern man owes much of his knowledge to the original Renaissance man, Da Vinci.
Our "Mona Lisa" Font on Display
Sadly, Atlas Signs and Plaques does not carry prints of famous artistic pieces, but we can offer the use of our Mona Lisa font—a font influenced by the artistic styling of Da Vinci. If you would like to use the Mona Lisa font on your sign, simply enter (Use Mona Lisa font) in the text box for your order and we will see it done.