Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, Italy. He was a true Renaissance man and genius who excelled in multiple fields, including painting, inventing, science, mathematics, writing, music, and botany. As both an artist and engineer, da Vinci created many famous paintings like the Lady with an Ermine and inventions well ahead of his time. He was also unusual in his ability to write with both hands simultaneously in opposite directions.