Links I Used

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
http://www.answers.com/topic/leonardo-da-vinci

What Motivated Me to Challenge Long Held Beliefs?

What motivated me was that my approach to science was an observational one: I tried to understand a phenomenon by describing it in the utmost detail, but since I lacked education in Latin and math, contemporary scholars mostly ignored me (although I did teach myself Latin) so I wanted to prove them wrong. I was fascinated by the phenomenon of flight, so I created plans for several flying machines, including a light hang glider and a machine resembling a helicopter.

Humanism Elements That I Proposed

Throughout my whole life, I contributed to humanism through my paintings and inventions. I also studied the human body and was given permission to dissect a human body in many cities. I created drawings of this and they were published many years after I died. I also made one of the very first drawings of the fetus. I claimed to have invented all sorts of machines for protection of the city. Other things I also invented were the hang glider and the helicopter.