Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored tank in 1487 as a circular fighting vehicle moved by cranking.
The vehicle had a conical, turtle-like cover made from wooden plates reinforced with metal. Its sloping surfaces were intended to deflect enemy fire, while openings around the platform allowed several light cannons to fire outward.
The design is often called Leonardo’s fighting vehicle rather than a modern tank, because it was never built as a practical armored vehicle in his lifetime. The surviving drawing also contains a likely gearing error that would make the vehicle move backward if built exactly as shown.
This concept predates operational tanks by centuries. Modern tanks use engines, tracks, armor and turret systems, none of which Leonardo’s hand-powered design possessed.