Portrait of a Genius

Leonardo Da Vinci was seen as a great artist during his lifetime. The same cannot be said for his life as an inventor. His genius as an inventor was only truly known through reading his secret manuscripts after his death. His want to invent was because of his curiosity and insatiable quest for knowledge. He was able to invent the earliest prototypes of such things as the steam cannon, the machine gun, the submarine, the depth charge, and the tank, all which were welcome inventions of the day for monarchs who saw their usefulness in warfare. But many of his other inventions such as the adjustable telescope, the flying machine, the parachute, the roller bearing, the universal joint, transmission gears, the camera, and the multiple belt drive were seen as evil since they went against conventional wisdom of the day. These views led to Da Vinci conducting his experiments in secret, the coded manuscripts from which which would ultimately show his true genius to future generations.