The Many Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is most famous for his incredible works of art, among them being the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and Vitruvian Man. But da Vinci wasn’t just a legendary artist – he has also come to be recognized as the quintessential Renaissance man, which is a person who demonstrates proficiency across a wide range of subjects. In addition to art, da Vinci excelled as an architect, scientist, engineer, and inventor.

Born on April 15, 1452, da Vinci eventually became a prolific inventor, developing creations that are widely recognized as being ahead of his time. From flying contraptions and weapons of war to a self-propelled vehicle, da Vinci “was never afraid to look beyond traditional thinking or ‘dream big,’” explained InventHelp, an American inventor service company.

Leonardo da Vinci and the Aerial Screw

One of his most astonishing inventions was the “Helical Air Screw,” a predecessor to the modern-day helicopter. Next to a drawing of a machine resembling a screw, da Vinci wrote: “If this instrument made with a screw be well made – that is to say, made of linen of which the pores are stopped up with starch and be turned swiftly, the said screw will make its spiral in the air and it will rise high.” Da Vinci envisioned a flying machine in the 15th century – nearly 500 years before the first helicopter was built in the 1900s.

The Giant Crossbow

Da Vinci was keenly interested in the psychological effects of war, particularly as it pertained to weaponry. “Da Vinci knew that the fear weapons could instill in enemies was just as important (if not more so) than the damage they could actually inflict,” InventHelp explained. That belief was clearly reflected in one of his inventions: the giant crossbow.

Developed almost entirely to intimidate an enemy, da Vinci’s giant crossbow was intended to be 42 braccia (27 yards) wide, with six wheels and a thin, flexible bow. Unlike standard crossbows that fired bolts, da Vinici’s enormous weapon of war is believed to have been designed to hurl massive stones.

To operate the machine, a soldier would turn a mechanism to draw back the bow, load the stone, and strike a holding pin with a mallet to release the shot. According to InventHelp, da Vinci’s “vivid drawings of the giant crossbow invention also make it clear the idea behind the impressive weapon was to terrify enemies into fleeing rather than fighting.”

The Self-Propelled Cart

Remarkably, da Vinci also designed an early self-propelled cart centuries before the first automobile ever hit the road. Fascinated by transportation methods, da Vinci’s cart used coiled springs to propel forward, and included steering and brakes.

For hundreds of years, scholars wrestled with da Vinci’s design – but in 2006, scientists built the vehicle, and were surprised to find it worked.

With over 100 inventions to his name, da Vinci still acknowledged that even mankind’s greatest creations could never rival the beauty and simplicity of the natural world: “Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.”

1. Leonardo da Vinci was a prolific inventor, artist, architect, scientist, and engineer.
2. A “Renaissance man” is someone who demonstrates proficiency across a wide range of subjects.
3. Da Vinci invented the “Aerial Screw,” the giant crossbow, and a self-propelled cart.