iced a technique of writingbackwards. It has been postulated that he did this, beingleft-handed, so that he wouldn't smear the ink by his left handrunning across newly-written words. Moreover, the individualwords are spelled backwards. In order to read the Notebooks onemust hold the pages up to a mirror and it is believed by some thatLeonardo did this to keep his writing and theories secret. In anyevent, contained in the Notebooks are plans and drawings for whatwe recognize today as the first working propeller, a submarine, ahelicopter, a tank, parachutes, the cannon, perpetual motionmachines, and the rope ladder. There are perfectly executeddrawings of the human body, from the proportions of the fullfigure to dissections in the most minute detail. It was observed,however, that Leonardo's interest in the human body and hisability to invent mechanical things were actually not as paramountto him as was his fascination and awe of the natural world . Leonardo lived to be 67 years old. He is not known tohave ever married or had children. In fact, it was said of him thathe only saw women as "reproductive mechanisms". If there is onequality that characterizes the life of Leonardo da Vinci it would behis curiosity for life and the world around him. Curiosity is theforce that motivated him to observe, dissect and document everyparticle of matter that warranted his attention. From babies in thewomb to seashells on the beach, nothing escaped his relentlessintellect. The mind of Leonardo transcends the period of theRenaissance and every epoch thereafter. It is universallyacknowledged that his imagination, his powers of reason, and hissheer energy surpass that of any person in history. The study ofLeonardo is limited only by the inadequacy of the student. ...
