Fact-Check: 8 Accurate Predictions of Leonardo da Vinci About The World's Future
 |
| What did Leonardo da Vinci predict about the future? |
| Contents |
Who Is Leonardo da Vinci: Private Life, Biography
Many people only know Leonardo da Vinci as a painter. But in reality, he did more than that. So who is Leonardo da Vinci after all? What other talents do you have?
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) was an Italian genius during the Renaissance. He is often known as a painter, the author of the famous painting Mona Lisa. However, in reality, Leonardo was also an inventor, musician, doctor, sculptor, architect, anatomist and natural philosopher. With brilliant achievements in many fields, he is considered the most almighty genius in human history.
This genius painter was born on April 15, 1452 in the village of Anchiano, near the town of Vinci, Italy. His father is Piero - a lawyer and notary public, and his mother is Caterina - a poor village girl. Due to the difference in status, they never married, so Leonardo became an illegitimate child.
Painting and the story of Leonardo drawing chicken eggs
When Leonardo da Vinci was 15 years old, he was taken by his father to apprentice at the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio - a famous painter and sculptor in Florence at that time. Here, he began his introductory lessons to become one of the most successful painters in human history.
Day by day, Leonardo da Vinci was only assigned by his teacher Verrocchio to a simple exercise of drawing chicken eggs. Feeling bored, one day, the little student complained to his teacher that: "Drawing eggs is the simplest thing in the world, even a 3-year-old child can do it".
Verrocchio replied, "Drawing an egg is not a simple task. In 1000 eggs it is impossible to find two that are exactly the same. Even with the same egg, if you change the angle of view, the light will also change. will change and you will see its different forms."
The teacher's answer helped painter Leonardo da Vinci realize that only through hard work and difficulty can he realistically draw everything he observes.
So, he continued to practice hard with the egg drawing exercise to gradually perfect his drawing skills to become the famous Leonardo da Vinci.
Career
In 1478, at the age of 25, Leonardo left his teacher's workshop to begin a career as an independent painter.
In 1482, the painter Leonardo da Vinci moved to Milan and served under Ludovico Sforza - duke of Milan. Here, he not only paints, sculpts, designs royal banquets but also designs and manufactures weapons and machines. He spent 17 years here until Ludovico fell from power in 1499.
For the next 16 years, Leonardo da Vinci traveled all over Italy working for various patrons. Around 1503, he is said to have begun work on the "Mona Lisa".
From 1513 to 1516, Leonardo worked in Rome, maintaining a workshop and undertaking many projects for the Pope.
Last years of life and cause of death
In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci left Italy to come to France when the French king at that time was Francis I greatly admired and awarded him the title of "the king's leading painter, architect and engineer".
In 1519, Leonardo da Vinci died of a stroke at the age of 67. He was buried nearby in the church of Saint-Florentin's palace.
Da Vinci parachute and testing reliability of Leonardo’s inventions:
The Accurate Predictions of Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci's constant curiosity in the field of science led him to write countless notebooks with sketches, inventions, observations about the world, and theories. Notably, many of them were later proven to be true and became a reality in the future world.
Therefore, da Vinci is considered to be much ahead of his time.
Here are eight Leonardo da Vinci predictions, both about technology and the natural world around him, that actually happened.
1.Submarine
 |
| Drawing recreating the sketch of Leonardo da Vinci's submarine |
While still alive, the Italian inventor had ideas for ships that could travel underwater and even sketched designs for this type of submersible.
Realizing how dangerous this could be if it fell into the wrong hands, da Vinci kept his original submarine design completely secret. He wrote: "because of the evil nature of the assassins at the bottom of the ocean".
2.Helicopter
 |
| Drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's Helicopter |
The "aerial screw" which is essentially a helicopter today is another one of those great inventions da Vinci cherished but couldn't make a reality at the time.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that a real helicopter was built, but da Vinci's version is still considered one of the earliest, if not the first, prototypes.
In 2013, a group of Canadian inventors really succeeded in implementing da Vinci's idea, making the world's first human-powered helicopter flight.
 Top 10 Most Luxurious and Expensive Helicopters In The World |
3.Refrigerator
Besides the big things, he also correctly predicted some real devices, such as the first prototype of the "cooler" - also known as a refrigerator.
Scholar Alessandro Vezzosi believes da Vinci came up with the idea for the cooler while living under the auspices of the Sforza family in Milan circa 1492. da Vinci's sketches show a complex system consisting of The bellows, skin chambers and faucets look rather bulky compared to today's refrigerators.
It's not known whether da Vinci actually attempted to build this "cooler", but it is believed to be the earliest known refrigeration attempt - and he predicted this now ubiquitous technology from long before anyone started to have an idea or a need for this machine.
4.Parachute
 |
| A parachute designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Source: Covecollective |
Although Sebastien Lenormand is credited with inventing the first parachute in 1783. However, in reality, Leonardo da Vinci conceived the idea of the parachute several hundred years earlier.
In a notebook, Leonardo sketched his parachute with the note: "If a man has a tent made of linen, in which all the openings are closed, and it with sides 24 feet long and height 12 feet, he can jump from any height without injury."
Not a circle but a triangle - this is what is so special about the great artist's parachute. That's why it makes many people wonder if this particular parachute has enough air to be able to float? Besides, because it is made of linen and wooden frame, the weight of the umbrella also becomes an issue.
Leonardo never built or tested his own parachute. And hundreds of years have passed, and no one has been brave enough to experiment and put their faith in this invention of his.
It was not until 2000, Adrian Nicholas - a British extreme skydiver, did this extreme challenge.
Adrian and his girlfriend Katarina Ollikainen built a parachute following Leonardo's original design, even using the exact same materials as linen and a wooden frame.
To the skepticism of experts, Adrian and his parachute were taken to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in a hot air balloon and then cut the rope to free fall. And the parachute actually worked really well.
The only worry is that the heavy weight of the parachute (about 85kg) could crush Adrian when he landed. As a result, Adrian allowed himself to cut Leonardo's parachute cord when he fell 2,000 feet (600 m), and landed with a modern parachute.
After testing, Adrian commented that Leonardo's parachute operates more smoothly than modern parachutes. Another interesting thing is that Leonardo's parachute after landing was only slightly damaged on impact.
So Leonardo da Vinci actually invented the first flying parachute in human history. Only it took five centuries for someone to test and prove that his invention really worked.
5.Telescope
While people often think of Galileo before they talk about astronomy, da Vinci most likely predicted the advent of the telescope a century earlier.
In the Codex Leicester, da Vinci is said to have written a note to himself saying "make eyeglasses to see the moon bigger".
Although there is no evidence as to whether he actually built such a device, the idea of a magnifying glass to observe the stars and moons in the sky was also thought of by da Vinci. .
The idea of the telescope to observe the Moon and the stars was recorded by the scientist.
 Why Does the Moon Affect the Tides Though It is 384,000 KM from Earth |
6.Robot
 |
| Da Vinci took advantage of the knight armor and the machines he invented |
Da Vinci also designed what could be the first humanoid robot. Accordingly, the inventor's "armored knight" was able to sit up, wave his arms, move his head, and open and close his jaws.
This robot knight is made up of a knight suit filled with gears and wheels connected to a system of pulleys and cables, allowing the primitive "robot" to move on its own.
Check More: What Is The First Robot In The World?
7.Human Evolution
Long before Charles Darwin shocked the world with his theory of evolution, da Vinci had a similar idea. In fact, he clearly took the idea of humans evolving from apes for granted and didn't even really try to argue it.
According to The Guardian, da Vinci's comparative anatomical studies allowed him to observe the close relationship of the two species. As part of an outline for a book on anatomy, he wrote of "a description of man, which includes descriptions of creatures of the same species, such as apes, monkeys, and many other similar species. is different".
8.Solar
 |
| Da Vinci actually used solar energy to boil water |
Taking advantage of solar energy may seem like a modern concept, but it is not. In fact, da Vinci designed his own solar system to heat Florence's water while he was still alive.
While working for the Vatican, da Vinci experimented with what he called "burning mirrors" and predicted that these concave reflectors could be used to focus and harness sunlight. In his solar system, these mirrors are used to heat water.
11 Interesting Facts about Leonardo da Vinci's Life
Not only known to posterity as a talented painter, author of famous works of art - Leonardo da Vinci's life also contains extremely interesting secrets.
1.da Vinci is not his last name
Many people often mistake da Vinci as Leonardo's last name. However, the truth is that 'da Vinci' means 'from Vinci' (the name of the city near where he was born). His full name is 'Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci' which means Leonardo, son of ser Piero, from Vinci.
2. Never been to school
Because he was an illegitimate child, Leonardo da Vinci was not allowed to go to school. He only learned to read, write and do math at home. All the profound knowledge, creative inventions that Leonardo had were learned by himself.
3.Make the teacher give up painting
It is said that, when Leonardo's teacher was commissioned to paint a picture of the Baptism of the Lord, he asked his students to draw supporting characters. At that time, the great artist Leonardo da Vinci drew an angel wearing a blue shirt and holding a cloth in the lower left corner of the picture.
Overwhelmed by his student's extraordinary talent, Verrocchio felt ashamed and decided to give up his painting career.
4. Passion for human anatomy
With boundless curiosity and a passion to accurately represent everything in the world, including humans, Leonardo da Vinci performed human anatomy, in which at least one pregnant woman died. He often took the bodies of criminals in medical schools.
5. Works are often left unfinished
Leonardo da Vinci was not a dedicated painter. Because of pursuing too many hobbies, Leonardo often failed to complete the paintings and projects he received.
Instead, he spends his time in nature, conducting scientific experiments, dissecting the bodies of humans and animals, and taking notes in his notebooks with his observations, theories, and inventions.
6. Sleep only 2 hours a day
The artist followed a polyphasic sleep method called Uberman (Uberman Cycle, Uberman Sleep). Accordingly, every 4 hours, he will take a 20-minute nap. That means he only sleeps about 2 hours a day.
7. His scientific ideas had little influence in his day
Although highly regarded as an artist, Leonardo's scientific ideas and inventions had little influence and attracted attention in his day. Part of the reason was that he made no effort to publish his notes. Centuries later, these records were not made public, and his ideas were beyond his time.
8. Author of the most expensive book in the world
Leonardo da Vinci is famous for his notebooks. In it, he recorded his observations, discoveries and inventions. In 1994, Bill Gates paid 30.8 million USD to buy "Codex Leicester" - one of Leonardo's notebooks and make it the world's most expensive book ever sold.
9. Author of the most expensive painting in the world
In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci's painting 'Salvator Mundi' was sold for $450 million in New York, making it the most expensive painting in the world.
10. His biggest project was destroyed
Gran Cavallo (also known as Leonardo's Horse) is considered Leonardo da Vinci's greatest project. This is a statue ordered Leonardo by Ludovico il Moro - duke of Milan in 1482.
Accordingly, Leonardo will create a statue of Francesco Sforza (the duke's father) on horseback taller than 25 feet (about 7.5 m). It was intended to be the largest equestrian statue in the world.
Leonardo spent nearly 17 years planning the statue. But before it was completed, the French invaded Milan in 1499. And the French soldiers who used the statue as a training target broke it to pieces.
11.Gay?
In 1476, Leonardo da Vinci and three other young men were arrested for being gay when they bought a famous male prostitute. At that time, homosexuality was a felony, punishable by death.
However, he was later released for lack of evidence. Despite this, many later scholars still believed that Leonardo da Vinci was a homosexual, pointing to his longtime relationship with his pupil Salai. In addition, he did not have an intimate relationship with a woman in his entire life.
To this day, Leonardo's gender is still a matter of controversy.
 Unregconizable Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of The Flower Moon”: Release Date, Plot and Cast Famous actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been in many iconic roles through the years, ever since his role in Titanic movie, and his fans are eager ... |
 Facts About Salvator Mundi - Most Expensive Painting In The World What is the world’s most expensive painting? The world’s most expensive painting is Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci, which sold for $450,312,500 (£343 million). |
 Mysteries About Leonardo's Salvator Mundi - The Most Expensive Painting in the World The masterpiece painting Leonardo da Vinci’s "Salvator Mundi" - once auctioned for more than $ 450 million, the most expensive in the world - is ... |
