Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps the greatest man in history, invented thousands of things

including the helicopter, tank and portable bridge. Leonardo was not only an inventor

,but a sculptor, an artist and an architect. He was born 1452 in the small town of Vinci

,in Tuscany. His father was a wealthy notary and his mother a peasant woman. In the

mid 1460s the family moved to Florence here he was given the best education Florence

could offer. He advanced rapidly socially and intellectually . He was very handsome and

a fine musician.

About 1482 Leonardo entered the service of the duke of Milan. Due to a recommendation

stating that he could build portable bridges and knew techniques in constructing canons,

ships and catapults as well as other weapons. He served as principle engineer in the

duke's military projects. In 1502 Leonardo entered the service of Cesare Borgia, duke of

Romagna. He served as Cesare's chief architect and engineer. Leonardo supervised work

on the fortresses of the papal territories in central Italy. In 1506 Leonardo went to Milan

again at the summons of its French governor Charles d'Amboise. For the next six years

he divided his time between Milan and Florence. He still continued his engineering

projects and worked on a figure for a monument to a commander of the French forces in

the city.

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