TODAY IN IP HISTORY. On April 15, 1452, Leonardo da Vinci, the ultimate Renaissance man, was born Lionardo di ser Piero da Vinci, in Vinci, Italy, Best known for his art, da Vinci spent much of his time drawing up plans for inventions like the submarine, the helicopter, the armored tank, and even the alarm clock, none of which came to fruition in his lifetime. Remaining today are at least 6,000 pages of his drawings and notes on everything from astronomy to anatomy — mostly written backward, decipherable only in a mirror. When he died, he apologized "to God and Man for leaving so much undone."
