This year I visited Moscow the 6th time. In the GUM (Moscows oldest Shopping Center) was a Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition from May 22nd  to August 31st 2006. This year was the Leonardo da Vinci Year. Her was born April 15th 1452 in Anchiano bei Vinci and he died May 2nd  1519 at Castle Clos Lucé, Amboise. The exhibition had about 50 objects and I have made more than 150 photos. I can only show a few.

One month later I was in Italy in Florence. In the Uffizi was another Leonardo Exhibition. In Moscow the main idea if the exhibition where models of architecture, here, in the Uffizi was the main focus his medical science.

Above all he was the uniqest universal genius the human race has ever seen. For me it was very impressive in both Cities and a reason to take a closer look.

Below I post links to more information about Leonardo da Vinci.

This "bat-like-wing" was his idea of flight. He designed a few flight machines and he also designed a submarine.

A tank, a helicopter and a bicycle from Leonardo da Vinci.
Date: 21.06.2006
 

Mechanisms, machines and devices, invented in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci, are represented at the exhibition “Our Contemporary is Leonardo da Vinci” which has been taking place in the framework of VI Open Festival of Arts “Sweet cherry’s Woods” (Moscow). Those devices are so close to their modern analogues that they arouse absolute admiration.

Defense and building technology, self-moving mechanisms and aircrafts, machines and mechanisms of different purpose have become subjects of invention of the genius scientist. The majority of those projects were implemented only in the 20th century, and some of them which were not understood 5 centuries ago were forgotten and have been inventing anew.

It is difficult to find essential differences between Leonardo’s wooden bicycle and its modern analogue. The bicycle’s drawings found during the restoration of Atlantic Codex were so unexpected that they raised doubts and debates among scientists.

A self-moving cart equipped with complicated spring mechanism which was maybe used for needs of the theatre is an obvious prototype of a modern motor-car.

It looks as if a dream of flying over the land didn’t leave the scientist’s mind. The airscrew engineered by Leonardo consisted of linen spiral coiling round a trunk of a tree upright. This construction has obviously become the basis for helicopter design.

A vertical aircraft which was set in motion with the help of arms, feet and a head of a person inside it has rather impressive dimensions: length of 12 meters at the wingspan of 24 meters and at the flapping motion amplitude of 4,8 meters. Its both wings work in turn. A 12meter-high staircase serves as a boundary between the ground and the aircraft. Another aircraft is fixed on pilot’s shoulders. Moving his feet the pilot pulls down and raises the wings. Steering system is placed on a pilot’s neck.

A problem of making transference in water easier was also interesting to Leonardo. A life buoy proposed by him doesn’t differ from a modern one. He has also invented long wooden floating skies and ski poles with floats. Such equipment helped a person to move forward and to balance himself in the water.

Among the 80 presented exhibits there are meteorological devices as well: a ratemeter of wind and water speed, measuring device for air humidity. The last one is beam scales with two pans; in one of them there is some “wax” and in the other one there is some “cotton wool”. Cotton wool increases its weight due to deliquescence. Air humidity is calculated by not complicated subtraction of cotton wool’s weights.

 Inventions for military purposes interested Leonardo da Vinci, too. The scientist made a fan-shaped machine gun with 12 trunks shooting simultaneously.

An interesting exhibit is original steam cannon. A container with water is placed on a brazier in the middle of which there is a blasting chamber heated to high temperature. Boiling water falling on red-hot coals turns into steam, which pushes a shell.

Watching a heavy van bound with armour in tortoise form and armed with guns from every quarter visitors can easily recollect a modern tank.

Different constructions for building activity are also of current importance nowadays, e.g. a revolving crane for vertical and horizontal materials handling, where a system of counterweight and screws is used. A crane with winch is unbelievably alike present hoisting cranes.

 Laws of statics and resistance of materials were widely used in the project of a pendant bridge made from light material which can be easily found in field condition. Such bridge projected more than 500 years ago could be quite useful during World War II which occurred not long ago.

A rolling machine, a loom, an “ideal town”, an incredibly modern ball-bearing, a predecessor of today searchlights and soffits, a device for glass polishing, an earth-moving machine, metallurgical furnaces… These are some items from the long inventions’ list of the great Artist and Scientist, who was ahead of his own time.

This Article was written by Tatiana Zimina
“Nauka-i-Zhizn” (“Science and Life”) and because I am only in Grade 5 I copied this article onto my webpage. I see this as an quotation. The original article can be found here:

http://www.nkj.ru/en/news/5195/print/

The photos I have made by myself, but made a different background.

It can be build raoidly with easy to find and tpo transport materials (small tree trunks and strong ropes) and it is meant primarily for military purposes. Since it facilitates crossing rivers, it permits rapid and unexpected troop movements, thus contributing to the surprise factor which is often fundamental for the success of a battle. This bridge uses the laws of szatics and of material resistance which Leonardo had developed while pusuing architectural interests.

In  order to solve the problem of friction in machines (which is directly connected with the problem of transmitting motion) Leonardo devised various sysetms. Extraordinary is the drawing of a bearing with a sliding ring which allows the balls to move freely without touching each other.

Visions of a modern City. This Exhibition came from Italy and the Exhibitioners have build models of his blueprints that he designed.

In the year 2004 I visited Paris and the Louvre. Here I saw the Mona Lisa, the most famous picture in the world, painted by Leonardo da Vinci. He was not only a medicine researcher and an architect and an army strategist he was also one of the most prominent painters in the world.

My link to our Louvre slides:

http://www.rebellog.com/graphics/france/fran267.html

The links:

Science and Life

Leonardo da Vinci (Wikipedia)

Leonardo Biography

Studio International

bbc..co.uk

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1384_leonardo/

http://www.elrelojdesol.com/interactive-paintings/mona-lisa.html