Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was born on the fifteenth of April, 1452, near the town of Vinci, not far from Florence. He was the son of a Florentine notary, Piero da Vinci, and a young woman named Caterina. Leonardo spent most of his life in Florence and Milan. In 1469 he was apprenticed to Andrea Verrocchio, a leading Renaissance master. Leonardo acquired a variety of skills while he remained at the workshop until 1476. He left …showed first 75 words of 3381 total…

…showed last 75 words of 3381 total…d modern conceptions of continent formation, and surmised the nature of fossil shells. He was among the originators of the science of hydraulics and probably devised the hydrometer; his scheme for the canalization of rivers still has practical value. He invented a large number of ingenious machines, many potentially useful, among them an underwater diving suit. His flying devices, although not practicable, embodied sound principles of aerodynamics. See also Drawing; Painting; Renaissance Art and Architecture.