Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was a true Renaissance Man in every sense of the word. He came from humble beginnings as the illegitimate child of an Italian notary and a peasant girl in Vinci, Italy (near Florence). He would eventually be raised by his father who gave him access to a vast supply of scholarly texts, which was a good thing since this boy had an insatiable curiosity. His father apprenticed the 15 year old Leonardo to Verrocchio, a renowned Florentine painter, where his genius became quickly apparent. Leonardo is mainly known as a painter and two of his works in particular are known in every corner of the world: The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper (two of the most reproduced works of arts in history). He is also known for his notebooks (which he never published) displaying his brilliance as an architect, scientist, engineer, inventor, botanist, geologist and so much more. This was a man way, way, WAY ahead of his time. His genius was practically superhuman.
