We all accept that Da Vinci was a genius. And his art does stand the test of time. But did any of his inventions make it past the blue print phase? It's my understanding that all his creations stayed in his notebooks, which were decoded years after his death. So, did any of his 'inventions' impact the course of science and history, or are they just interesting 'what ifs'.
His inventions were never really used. Some researches attempted to build his aerial screw but the reproduction made with period correct tools did not work. However, his anatomical research and drawings substantially moved the study of anatomy forward. He dissected at least 30 cadavers over his scientific career, and took immaculate records of his finding. We have over 240 of his drawings, including the famous Vitruvian Man and 13,000 pages of his notes. No one had ever been that thorough in their research or made drawings of the human body that were so precise. His work stood as some of the most in depth and advanced work in the study of human anatomy for hundreds of years. However, much of his more far-sighted work was never published. In fact, many of his anatomical discoveries were confirmed when CAT and MRI scans were first introduced. For example, he discovered how the aortic valve only allows blood to flow in one direction. This would not be formally understood by main stream since until this was "rediscovered" by scientists in 1968, almost 500 years later.
