7 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was a true Renaissance man. He was an artist, inventor, scientist and more. But did you know that he also had many nicknames and was self-taught? Or maybe you didn't know that he never made money off his inventions or that his left-handedness helped him create mirror-image writings and drawings? We've put together this handy list of eight things about Leonardo da Vinci's life that aren't well known but should be!

1. He had many nicknames.

You may know him as Leonardo da Vinci, but he was also known by many other names. In fact, he had so many nicknames that it's sometimes difficult to keep track of them all. One nickname was "the Universal Man" because he did so much and excelled at so many different things: art, science and math; writing music; creating machines like airplanes; designing bridges and buildings; inventing new devices like a mechanical lion that would roar when the king or queen walked past it...the list goes on and on!

Another nickname was "the Divine Prodigy" because at a very early age (around 14 years old) he became interested in drawing anatomy from dissected bodies—an unusual hobby for young boys back then but one which led him to create amazing portraits of human beings—and these drawings were so accurate that they were used by doctors for centuries afterward as teaching tools for medical students who wanted to learn more about human anatomy before going out into their own practice.

Yet another nickname was "Wonder of the World" because people thought what he did seemed impossible—how could one person do all those things? But Leonardo himself told people not to think about himself as being better than anyone else: "I am not worthy even to loosen his sandal straps," referring to Jesus Christ Himself!

2. He was a vegetarian.

In addition to the things we do know about da Vinci, there are also some facts that are less commonly known. For instance, he was a vegetarian. He believed it was better for the environment, his health and the animals we eat.

He also had an obsession with water and plumbing systems. He invented several different ways of collecting rainwater and even designed toilets that flushed without using any water at all!

The man knew how to get things done!

3. Leonardo may have been self-taught.

Leonardo da Vinci was born out of wedlock and was not formally educated, so it's unclear how he learned the skills for which he is famous. However, some scholars believe he may have been self-taught.

Although Leonardo was talented in many fields (including science, math, and art), his father may have been an artist as well. His father worked as a notary; however, he also drew portraits of patrons and sold them to other people to earn extra money. It's possible that Leonardo learned from his father how to paint portraits and sell them as well as how to make money with other skills like sculpting bronze statues or fashioning musical instruments such as violins.

4. He never made money off his inventions.

However, da Vinci did not patent his inventions because he was more interested in the intellectual challenge of creating something new than making money. He also believed that patents were immoral and would destroy innovation.

5. His left-handedness helped him create mirror-image writings and drawings.

Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed. He was also, it is believed, dyslexic.

The fact that he had these traits was pretty uncommon for his time period (the 1400s). Because of this, there are many theories about how these disorders may have helped him be more creative and innovative than other people who were born with them. If you're not familiar with the differences between left-handedness versus right-handedness or what dyslexia is all about—it's okay! We'll get into exactly what each one entails below.

6. He made flying machines and submarines.

You may think of da Vinci as a Renaissance man, but he was also an inventor. He made flying machines and submarines. And it's not like he tried to make them and failed—he actually did build them! The reason we don't have working models of these devices today is because they were probably destroyed by vandals or lost during wars.

Da Vinci was interested in the mechanics of flight, both human flight (e.g., parachutes) and bird flight (e.g., ornithopters). He designed several flying machines including gliders and helicopters that were based on birds' wingspans for lift (e.g., the ornithopter). In fact, his notebooks contain sketches for several different types of flying machines: bat-like flapping wings; kite-like flapping wings; bird-shaped flapping wings; helicopter blades on chains attached to wheels or legs; free rotor helicopter blades attached to arms on a torso; fixed wing aircrafts with tail fins; fixed wing aircrafts with rudders at their rear end; fixed wing aircrafts covered in feathers for extra speed during descent towards Earth after being lifted up off its surface by hot air balloons filled with coal smoke particles produced by burning wood chips inside iron containers placed at high altitudes above ground level inside large buildings where windows had been removed so as not disrupt vision while looking out into space through telescopes mounted onto walls surrounding buildings where no light penetrated through any opening except when they passed through glass panes used solely for this purpose - but there's no evidence any such building ever existed outside his imagination - unless maybe there was one somewhere else on earth?!?

7. Leonardo was a master of art and science.

Leonardo da Vinci is best known for his paintings, most notably The Last Supper. But he was also an engineer, architect, and scientist who made many important contributions to all these fields. He was a true Renaissance man—a polymath who excelled in many different fields.

Leonardo’s art would continue to influence artists centuries after his death by inspiring new artistic styles and movements that can still be seen today

Conclusion

Leonardo da Vinci was a man of many talents who defied convention and challenged what people knew about the world. He was an artist, inventor, scientist, musician, writer and more!