The correct answer is: A. Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect. While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he also became known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and paleontology. Leonardo’s genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal, and his collective works compose a contribution to later generations of artists rivalled only by that of his younger contemporary, Michelangelo.
Da Vinci’s earliest known dated drawing, a landscape dated 1472, shows the careful observation of nature that would become a hallmark of his work. His most famous works include the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Vitruvian Man. Leonardo’s genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal, and his collective works compose a contribution to later generations of artists rivalled only by that of his younger contemporary, Michelangelo.
Da Vinci was born in the Tuscan town of Vinci, the son of a notary, and apprenticed as a young man to the painter Andrea del Verrocchio. In the 1480s, he moved to Milan to work for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. During his time in Milan, Leonardo produced some of his most famous works, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. In 1506, he returned to Florence, where he continued to paint and study anatomy, optics, and flight. In 1516, he moved to France at the invitation of King Francis I. He died in France in 1519.
Da Vinci’s contributions to science and engineering were also groundbreaking. He made detailed studies of human anatomy, and he designed flying machines, submarines, and other machines that were far ahead of their time. His notebooks are filled with sketches and notes on a wide range of subjects, and they provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
The other options are incorrect because:
- The Wright brothers were the first to fly a heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
- Francis Rogallo invented the parafoil in 1948.
- Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer who made fundamental contributions to the sciences of motion, astronomy, and strength of materials and to the development of the scientific method.