Leonardo da Vinci was not only a great artist, he was also brilliant inventor. And believe it or not, the first car was invented by him over 500 years ago! It's no secret that da Vinci drew plans for a car. Several attempts were made in the last century to build the vehicle, but without success. However, a team of computer designers, engineers, and carpenters have finally put da Vinci's plans into practice. They spent eight months building a replica of da Vinci's car - and it works! The car, wich was sketched by da Vinci in 1478, runs by clockwork. "It was - or is - the world's first self - propelled vehicle. It is highly sophisticated, a work of genius - and Italian," said Paolo Galuzzi , director of the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence, where the model is on display.
"It is very powerful machine," said Professor Galuzzi. "It could run into something and do serious damage".
Da Vinci's other inventions
Flying machine He designed several flying machines, including a helicopter. The first successful powered flying machine was built and flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903.
Parachute In 1485, da Vinci sketched a design for a parachute. No one knows whether he ever tested a full-scale model. The first reported successful parachute jump was made in 1797.
Robot He produced what are thought to be the first-ever designed for a human-like robot in 1495. The robot was designed to wave, sit up, and move its mouth. The first robot Steam Man was created by John Brainerd in 1865.
Scuba diving He sketched an air chamber to allow a diver to swim underwater without connection to the surface. In 1943, the aqualung was invented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Emilia Gagnon