Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy in 1452. By age 14, his extraordinary talents as a painter were undeniable. He went on to become one of the greatest painters of the Italian Renaissance, with such masterpieces as the Madonna of the Rocks and the Last Supper fresco.

Over the course of his life, Leonardo was devoted to a number of attractive young men. His drawings of his pupil, Giacomo Caprotti, span twenty years. Later, he took an interest in a young aristocrat named Francesco Melzi, who remained by his side until Leonardo's death in 1519.

He left behind over eight thousand pages of mirror-scripted inventions, scientific sketches and architectural designs. Although some were impractical at the time, others were precursors to the modern day bicycle and helicopter.

His drawings revealed that not only was he the consummate Renaissance artist, but a prolific innovator and scientific genius.

This Rainbow Minute was read by Tom Miller.

“The Rainbow Minute” is produced by Judd Proctor and Brian Burns and can be heard every weekday at 7:59am, 12:29pm and 2:59pm on WRIR – 97.3fm in Richmond, Virginia, and webcast at wrir.org. It’s also heard internationally on over 200 stations.