Uncover the true story behind the quintessential Renaissance Man! Everybody knows Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, drew that famous guy inside a circle, and-oh yeah-has something to do with that code, too. But what about the man behind the myth? Although he's incredibly famous for his artistic achievements, most people don't know much about this genius's life. 101 Things You Didn't Know about Da Vinci takes a fun, fresh look at the master, from his less-than-illustrious origins as an illegitimate child, to his later years hobnobbing with popes, dukes, and kings. This engaging volume is your ticket to all sorts of off-beat tidbits, including how and why: Leonardo developed a backwards writing code, to keep his ideas secret. The Italian military swiped the bronze for one of Leonardo's sculptures. Catholic monks filed a lawsuit against Leonardo over the Virgin of the Rocks. Artistic rival Michelangelo once called Leonardo "that lyre-player from Milan." Leonardo concocted a scheme with Machiavelli to reroute the Arno River. Even Sigmund Freud got a piece of the action by deconstructing Da Vinci. Full of the unexpected, this book takes you beyond the hearsay and hype, proving that when it comes to Leonardo Da Vinci, fact really is stranger than fiction!