You will also have to decipher the following riddle should you wish to open the container:
I am normally below you; if you remove my first letter, you’ll find me above you; if you remove my 1st and 2nd letters, you can’t see me. What am I?
S 33 A.BC E 25 D.EF
A = (Da Vinci's age) - 8
B = (the wingspan of the flying machine) x 7
C = (3rd number of the date the first practical parachute was invented) - (the second number of the same date)
D = (the number of guns in the organ) + (the diameter of the aerial screw)
E = (the date Da Vinci was born on) + (the date Da Vinci died)
F = (the year the first physical cryptex was created) - (the year "The Da Vinci code book was published)
The term "Renaissance man" comes from fifteenth-century Italy and refers to the idea of a person with knowledge and skills in a number of different areas. Perhaps no single individual defines the idea of a Renaissance man better than Leonardo da Vinci. Born on April 15, 1452; his work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy. Da Vinci dreamed up inventions and innovations across a variety of fields; whether designing weapons of war, flying machines, water systems or work tools; and was never afraid to look beyond traditional thinking or "dream big". He died on May 2, 1519.
Some of his more famous inventions were:
Flying Machine
The design of this invention was inspired by the flight of winged animals, which da Vinci hoped to replicate. In fact, in his notes, he mentions bats, kites and birds as sources of inspiration. The machine had a wingspan of about 10 meters, and the frame was to be made of pine covered in raw silk to create a light but sturdy membrane. To power the wings, the pilot would pedal a crank connected to a rod-and-pulley system.
Parachute
The invention of the first practical parachute goes to Sebastien Lenormand in 1783. However, Da Vinci had made a sketch of the invention 100 years earlier, with this accompanying description: "If a man have a tent made of linen of which the apertures (openings) have all been stopped up, and it be twelve braccia (about 7 meters) across and twelve in depth, he will be able to throw himself down from any great height without suffering any injury." The most distinct aspect of da Vinci’s parachute design was that the canopy was triangular rather than rounded.
Aerial Screw
Da Vinci’s helicopter measured about 4m in diameter and was made from reed, linen and wire. It was to be powered by four men standing on a central platform turning cranks to rotate the shaft.
33 Barrelled Organ
This design features 33 small-calibre guns connected together. The canons were divided into three rows of 11 guns each, all connected to a single revolving platform. All the guns on the organ would be loaded and then, during battle, the first row of 11 would be fired. The platform would then be rotated to properly aim the next row of canons. The idea was that while one set of canons was being fired, another set would be cooling and the third set could be loaded. This system allowed soldiers to repeatedly fire without interruption. The weapon is referred to as an "organ" because the rows of canon barrels resemble the pipes of an organ.
Ideal City
This invention focuses not just on a single area but combines da Vinci’s talents as an artist, architect, engineer and inventor to create an entire city. His ideal city integrated a series of connected canals, which would be used for commercial purposes and as a sewage system. The city would feature lower and upper areas – the lower being canals for tradesmen and travellers and the upper being roads for "gentleman".
Self-Propelled cart
Leonardo’s cart was powered by coiled springs and it also featured steering and brake capabilities. When the brake was released, the car would propel forward, and the steering was programmable to go either straight or at pre-set angles. Da Vinci’s cart design was so ahead of its time that its exact workings baffled scholars until late in the 20th century. But, in 2006, Italy’s Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence built a working model based on da Vinci’s design and, to the surprise of many, the cart actually worked.
Cryptex
A cryptex is a device for securing information. It works much like a combination lock, and if one arranges the disks to spell out the correct password, the tumblers inside align, and the entire cylinder slides apart. In the inner compartment of the cryptex, secret information can be hidden, written on a scroll of thin papyrus wrapped around a fragile vial of vinegar as a security measure: if one does not know the password but tries to force the cryptex open, the vial will break and the vinegar will dissolve the papyrus before it can be read. Although many believe that Leonardo invented this, because of Dan Brown’s 2003 novel “the da vinci code”, he in fact did not. The first physical cryptex was created by Justin Kirk Nevins in 2004, based on Dan Brown's book.
PS. Da Vinci would still have has to use his one undiscovered, and possibly greatest, design when sketching up the designs for all his other inventions, and that is his chair. He surely would have struggled to design such revolutionary things without sitting in ultimate comfort, so there can be no doubt he created his own perfect chair, most likely with all manner of attachments to hold his special pencils and mathematical instruments.
This forms part of the Puzzle Containers Series, the others can be found here:
Puzzle Containers 1 - Bottlelock = GC67T4P
Puzzle Containers 3 - Spin the Box = GC67KXR
Puzzle Containers 4 - Electricity Rebooted = GC6A98V
Puzzle Containers 5 - String Theory = GC69D1W
Puzzle Containers 6 - Nursery Rhymes = GC69XG7
Puzzle Containers 7 - Big In Japan? = GC6BPKQ
Puzzle Containers 8 - Balancing Act = GC6E22F
Puzzle Containers 9 - Deep Breath = GC6FR68
Puzzle Containers 10 - The Key is the Key = GC6JNEZ
Puzzle Containers 11 - Music Boxes = GC6MK81
Puzzle Containers 12 - Pipe = GC6W4C5
Puzzle Containers 13 - Dexterity = GC70N4E
Puzzle Containers 14 - Choo Choo = GC74NGV