Leonardo Da Vinci

On the fifteenth of April, 1452, inside a small farmhouse in Anchiano (near Vinci), Leonardo da Vinci was born.

Da Vinci would grow up to be a man capable of almost any endeavor. He was an artist, inventor, scientist, musician, an engineer, and far more. He also helped out the government. He created new and 'advanced' (at that time) weapons of destruction for the government. Some of these weapons were the tank, the steam cannon, and the 'machine gun.' Some of his more useful inventions to the public were the clock, the parachute, and the toothed gear.

At the age of 17, Leonardo moved to Florence, Italy, with his father Piero Da Vinci and started out learning from Andrea del Verrocchio (the greatest artist and sculptor there at that time) in 1469. He had created his first known dated artwork there in Florence.

One of his more famous and recognized paintings was the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci spent the time span between 1503 to 1507 creating this portrait. This painting was the portrait of Lisa, the third wife of Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo. Francesco ordered a portrait of his third wife, which he never received back from Leonardo. This wonderful work of art is now currently hung up in the great Louvre Museum, located in Paris, France.

Da Vinci spent his last years of his life in Amboise. King Francis I bought his painting of La Gioconda (a.k.a. the Mona Lisa). The king then invited him to Amboise. Leonardo died on May 2nd, 1519, in the small castle Cloux.