Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. Da Vinci was born in 1452 near Vinci, in what is now the Italian region of Tuscany. Unlike other well-known Renaissance artists, da Vinci never received any kind of formal education. His estimated IQ scores range from 180 to 220 by different measures.

• #1 Da Vinci was a prolific inventor.
• #2 He designed a tank more than 400 years before it became a reality.
• #3 Da Vinci designed a mechanical knight known as Leonardo’s robot.
• #4 He designed a workable precursor to the modern diving suit.
• #5 He conceptualized the parachute, glider, helicopter, and landing gear.

A comedic illustration made in 1495 for a poem by Gaspare Visconti may depict Leonardo as a court lawyer with allusions to his alleged homosexual proclivities. Michael White points out that willingness to discuss aspects of Leonardo’s sexual identity has varied according to contemporary attitudes. His near-contemporary biographer Vasari makes no reference to Leonardo’s sexuality whatsoever. In the 20th century, biographers made explicit references to a probability that Leonardo was homosexual, though others concluded that for much of his life he was celibate.

Source: Wikipedia