Leonardo da Vinci has long been considered one of the greatest minds in the world. The Italian sage from the Renaissance is best known for his works of art such as “Mona Lisa” or “The Last Supper,” but he was also an avid inventor and researcher.
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 11 of his predictions, both in terms of technology and the natural world around him, that actually happened.
Submarine
While still alive, the Italian inventor had ideas for ships that could move 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.”
Drawing recreating the sketch of Leonardo da Vinci’s submarine
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.
Da Vinci’s “Aerial Screw”
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 he was still living under the auspices of the Sforzas family in Milan around 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 if 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.
Umbrella
Da Vinci also devised an early version of the parachute in a Codex Atlanticus entry. The inventor had an idea for an object made of sealed linen and held together by wooden stakes.
“If a man had a structure made of coated fabric 12 arm lengths wide and 12 arms high, he would be able to throw himself from any great height without injury,” he asserted.
However, da Vinci never tested this himself. Moreover, modern testing has proven that the weight of the original parachute was extremely dangerous, putting the jumper at risk of injury upon landing.
Da Vinci’s square pyramidal parachute structure
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”.
Anatomy manuscript is one of da Vinci’s cult research works
Solar
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.
da Vinci actually used solar energy to boil water
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 that says “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
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.
Da Vinci took advantage of the knight armor and the machines he invented
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