Leonardo da Vinci sketched an armored vehicle now commonly called Leonardo’s tank around 1487.
The design resembles a large, conical armored shell mounted on wheels. Small cannons project through openings around its lower edge, allowing occupants to fire in several directions while protected by the cover. Leonardo prepared the concept during his work on military engineering.
The vehicle was intended to be moved by people turning cranks connected to the wheels. Modern examinations of the drawing have identified a gear arrangement that would make the vehicle move backward if built exactly as shown. Some historians suggest that this may have been a drafting error, while others have speculated about deliberate concealment.
It is not evidence that Leonardo built a modern tank. The word “tank” is a later comparison: twentieth-century tanks use engines, tracks or wheels, armor, and weapons in a very different system.