Why was Leonardo da Vinci significant in world history?

Most people know Leonardo da Vinci as a gifted painter from the Renaissance period. This is certainly true as paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are historically respected works of art. But da Vinci was involved in many areas of study including botany, geology, and physics. This reflected the desire of the Renaissance period in the exploration of human reason and science. He helped lead a movement to revive the arts and sciences in Europe. His keen sense of the importance of the visual senses and observation inspired scientific inventiveness. He was an architect and engineer who sketched weapons likes tanks and crossbows. Da Vinci also had a keen interest in anatomy and his diagrams of the human body were centuries ahead of their time. His sketches appeared futuristic at the time and he seemed to predict the use of bicycles, airplanes, and helicopters. Da Vinci was one of the most important players in the Renaissance period, a time period that saw European states thrust into modernity.