THE LEONARDO DA VINCI'S BICYCLE for 2nd ESO

As you know the 15th and 16th centuries were full of discoveries, science and modernity. Nicolas Copernicus, developed the heliocentric theory. Copernicus supported the Ptolemaic theory which maintained that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.

Other things were also discovered, such as the blood circulation by Miguel Servet, etc. In many cases the churches did not understand the new discoveries and accused them to the State. So, for example, Miguel Servet was killed by the Calvinists in Switzerland and Copernicus was rejected by the Catholic Church.

In this situation, in Italy, Leonardo da Vinci, the painter of the Last Supper in Milan or the Monna Lisa, was also a very important inventor. He was very interested in making machines for the war, flying machines, military inventions, and even the bycicle. But, was Leonardor the inventor of the modern bicycle? That is not the answer. Maybe he or his pupils designed a model of a machine whith two wheels, one handelbar, pedals… but it was never used it.

Read the following article published by the professor John Lienhard from the University of Houston about the Leonardo's bycicle. Click here