Florence Art & Science Museum
Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit.
The Da Vinci Exhibit
We have many samples of Da Vinci's work on display, from his awesome art work to some of his finest inventions. So come and see the authentic work of a real Renaissance man!
Come in and see his amazing work at the Florence Art & Science Museum.
Contact info: (735) 653 9204
Who Is Da Vinci? (1452-1519)
The Parachute
Ornithopter
Da Vinci was also fascinated by birds. He watched them, sketched them, and took ideas from them for his inventions. One result from this fascination was the Ornithopter. The idea of this was to let people soar threw the air like a bird. Unlike the parachute this was suppose to let people glide of the ground into the air. On paper, it looks very similar to a bird, the wings are designed to flap as the pilot would turn a crank.
The Diving Suit
While da Vinci was living in Venice, he devised a crazy idea for repelling invading ships. He would send men to the bottom of the harbors in diving suits so they could cut holes in enemy hulls. This doesn't sound so crazy anymore, since its actually pretty common. But in Da Vinci's time this was unheard of. The divers would have carried breathing hoses connected to a floating bell full of air, they would wear facemasks with glass goggles that would allow them to see underwater. In another version the divers would breath from wine bladders filled with air.
The Armored Tank
While Da Vinci was working for the Duke of Milan, he proposed what may have been the ultimate war machine, the armored tank. It would have been driven only by the power of eight men. The tank was a turtle-like moving shell that had 36 guns poking out of its sides. It was operated by gears, cranks, and wheels. The eight men would have been protected by the outer shell so they could be able to drive the tank right into the heat of battle without being hurt, but only at a walking speed. The guns fired in all directions and would have been devastating to the enemy ranks. There was one flaw in the diagram in Da Vinci's notebook, the gearing would cause the front and back wheels to move in opposite directions, which would have made it unable to move. Historians have proposed Da Vinci would have been to smart to make a mistake like this. Maybe he didn't really want a war machine built? or maybe he didn't want the enemy to get their hands on the diagram, so he made an error, assuring no one else could build it but him.