Leonardo da Vinci is revered around the world as a master of Renaissance painting and an ingenious engineer, but few have thought of him as the father of the modern car. But on Friday, the Museum of History and Science in Florence -- the heart of Renaissance Italy -- unveiled the first "automobile" built based on some of the sketches from da Vinci's famous notebooks.
The "automobile" -- which in fact looks more like a wagon -- is by no means the first invention discovered in da Vinci's mysterious manuscripts, which include flying machines, helicopters, submarines, military tanks and bicycles.
With all due respect to Leonardo, he "envisioned" these things, he did not "invent" them. Just as, for example, Larry Niven dreamed up the Puppeteers' General Products #1 Hull, but he never actually invented one.
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Tom Beck
my LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tomfodw/
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"I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never thought I'd see the last." - Dr. Jerry Pournelle
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