WH
OF OUR FUTURE, OUR FATE,
MAY BE FOUND IN THE WORK OF LEONARDO DA VINCI?
BORN IN 1452, DA VINCI WAS THE ULTIMATE RENAISSANCE MAN --
ARTIST, BOTANIST, ARCHITECT, SCIENTIST, MATHEMATICIAN,
WRITER, MUSICIAN.
YOU NAME IT, DA VINCI DID IT.
AND HE DID IT AT A LEVEL THAT BOGGLES THE MIND.
AN INVENTOR, DA VINCI ACCURATELY PREDICTED
HUNDREDS OF ADVANCEMENTS IN SCIENCE, TRANSPORTATION,
MEDICINE, AND WARFARE 500 YEARS BEFORE THEY HAPPENED.
SOME CALL THAT "HUMAN GENIUS,"
BUT A FEW THINK HE ACTUALLY SAW THE FUTURE,
AND MANY NOW BELIEVE
THAT DA VINCI'S MOST DANGEROUS PROPHECY HAS YET TO BE UNLOCKED.
NOW A NEWLY DISCOVERED DA VINCI DRAWING
THAT'S BEEN HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES MAY PROVE TO BE THE FINAL PIECE
TO DA VINCI'S MOST IMPORTANT PROPHECY.
IT IS TIME TO DECODE LEONARDO DA VINCI.
I'M BRAD MELTZER.
I'VE SPENT MY LIFE COLLECTING STORIES --
SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND CODES HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.
SOME HAVE BECOME THE BASIS FOR MY NOVELS,
BUT I'VE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.
AND NOW HISTORY HAS GIVEN ME THE RESOURCES
TO INVESTIGATE THE REST.
THIS IS "DECODED."
[ CELLPHONE RINGS ]
Rolle: HEY, BRAD. YOU GOT A GOOD ONE FOR US?
MELTZER: I do.
You guys are going to Italy, and you're gonna be decoding
none other than Leonardo da Vinci himself.
YES!
OH, WOW.
OKAY, THAT IS SWEET BUT A LITTLE DAUNTING.
WHAT'S LEFT ABOUT LEONARDO?
There are things happening right now
that could change the way we think about da Vinci's work.
There's a family in Genoa who thinks that they've found
a brand-new da Vinci sketch.
OH. THAT WOULD BE HUGE.
It was actually hidden for years
in the secret compartment of his book,
which is an awesome hiding place.
And some people even think that it contains prophecies.
DA VINCI'S LIKE EINSTEIN TO ME,
WHERE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I HAVEN'T READ OF HIS,
I WANT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT.
You ever see his drawings of helicopters and tanks
and all the other inventions that didn't exist back then?
Those are common knowledge.
But he also had some more cryptic writings
that some think are starting to come true.
OH, REALLY?
This is a real chance for us, right on the front lines.
Look into the sketch. Let's see if it's real.
And let's find out what da Vinci was trying to tell us
about the future.
IMAGINE HAVING AN ORIGINAL DA VINCI SKETCH.
Rolle: I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.
Levy: I HOPE IT IS.
LEONARDO DA VINCI IS CONSIDERED BY MANY SCHOLARS
TO BE THE GREATEST PAINTER OF ALL TIME,
PRODUCING BOTH THE
BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK IN 1452 TO A WEALTHY NOTARY FATHER
AND A PEASANT MOTHER,
DA VINCI TOOK HIS FIRST PAINTING APPRENTICESHIP
WITH THE RENAISSANCE MASTER VERROCCHIO
WHEN HE WAS JUST 14 YEARS OLD.
THE STORY GOES THAT ONE OF HIS FIRST BIG OPPORTUNITIES
WAS TO PAINT AN ANGEL IN THE GREAT MASTER'S WORK
BAPTISM OF CHRIST.
AFTER LOOKING AT IT,
VERROCCHIO ALLEGEDLY VOWED THAT HE WOULD NEVER PAINT AGAIN,
UNABLE TO LIVE UP TO HIS YOUNG STUDENT LEONARDO.
BUT DA VINCI WAS ALSO A BRILLIANT DRAFTSMAN,
AND HIS INVENTIVE DRAWINGS ARE PROOF OF A THINKER
WHO WAS CLEARLY CENTURIES AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
HE IMAGINED A TANK, SCUBA SUITS, DRIVING MACHINES.
LOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, AT HIS DESIGN FOR A FLYING MACHINE.
HE DREW THIS IN 1488,
MORE THAN 400 YEARS BEFORE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS.
AND HIS ORNITHOPTER FLYING DEVICE
INSPIRED THE WING LOOK
WHEN BILL FINGER AND BOB KANE CREATED BATMAN.
THAT IS TRUE.
WITHOUT LEONARDO, THERE IS NO BATMAN.
Gerbino: WELL, THIS IS THE COVER, AND THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE.
THIS FIRST PAGE WAS STUCK HERE.
AND THE DRAWING WAS FOUND EXACTLY HERE.
Levy: BUT THIS ISN'T A REPLICA. THIS IS THE BOOK.
NO, NO. THIS IS THE BOOK.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ONE, OF COURSE.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ONE
THAT THE CARDINAL HAD HIDDEN THE PAGE INSIDE.
YES. BETWEEN THE COVER AND THE FIRST PAGE, YES.
CARDINAL TADINI, THE FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF GENOA,
HID THE DRAWING IN AN UNMARKED BOOK'S SECRET COMPARTMENT,
AND IT REMAINED THERE UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1847.
WHEN THE CARDINAL'S POSSESSIONS WERE AUCTIONED OFF,
A NEW OWNER NOTICED THAT THE COVER HAD BEEN COMPROMISED
AND DISCOVERED THE PORTRAIT UNDERNEATH.
IT WAS ANOTHER 50 YEARS BEFORE ANYBODY REALIZED
WHAT AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY HAD BEEN MADE.
THE DRAWING HUNG UNASSUMINGLY ON A WALL
UNTIL IT CAUGHT THE EYE
OF CHRISTINA GERBINO'S FAMILY FRIEND,
AN ANTIQUE RESTORER WHO DECIDED TO TRACE THE DRAWING
BACK TO ITS CREATOR,
AND THAT'S WHEN THINGS GOT INTERESTING.
ART HISTORIANS AND FORENSIC SCIENTISTS CONCLUDED
THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE DRAWING BY LEONARDO DA VINCI,
BUT IT WAS FROM A COLLECTION OF HIS WORKS,
THE
THAT INCLUDES APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES.
ON THE SKETCH,
THERE WAS A SIGNATURE THAT HAS BEEN ERASED.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT HOLLOWS THERE.
IN A TOTALLY DARK AMBIENT
AND USING THE LIGHT FROM THE LEFT ANGLE,
YOU CAN SEE THE TRACES OF THE SIGNATURE.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE LOWER PART OF OUR DRAWING.
SO, IF WE READ THE SIGNATURE
FROM THE LEFT SIDE TO THE RIGHT SIDE,
WE HAVE TWO LETTERS THAT ARE VERY CLEAR.
"IO" IS "MYSELF" IN ITALIAN.
THEN WE HAVE FOUR LETTERS TOGETHER -- "N-A-R-D," "NARD."
THEN WE HAVE "O-D-A." "IO NARDO DA VINCI."
USE "MYSELF" -- LEO -- NARDO DA VINCI.
IT'S A SIGNATURE.
AND THEN WE CAN READ THE SIGNATURE
FROM THE RIGHT SIDE TO THE LEFT SIDE.
AND OUR INTERPRETATION IS
IF WE TRANSLATE THAT IN ENGLISH, IT MEANS,
"IN THIS WAY, I DO MYSELF."
THE FACT THAT THE SIGNATURE READS BACKWARDS
IS A TELLTALE SIGN
THAT WE'RE LIKELY LOOKING AT A REAL DA VINCI.
HE WROTE ALMOST ALL OF HIS PERSONAL NOTES AND LETTERS
IN MIRROR WRITING.
SOME SAY IT WAS BECAUSE HE WAS A SOUTHPAW
AND HE SIMPLY DIDN'T WANT TO SMUDGE THE INK.
OTHERS SAY IT WAS SO THAT LESSER ARTISTS
WOULDN'T COPY HIS MASTERWORKS.
BUT MANY BELIEVE IT WAS TO HIDE IDEAS
THAT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HIM IN TROUBLE WITH THE GOVERNMENT,
THE LAW, OR THE CHURCH.
IN LEONARDO'S TIME,
DISSECTING ANYTHING MORE THAN A PIG WAS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN,
BUT DA VINCI PERFORMED CLANDESTINE DISSECTIONS
OF HUMANS
AND CREATED HIGHLY DETAILED ANATOMICAL DIAGRAMS AND WRITINGS
ALL IN MIRROR WRITING.
SO, WHEN YOU READ DA VINCI'S SIGNATURE BACKWARDS,
YOU GET SOMETHING INTERESTING.
TRANSLATED LOOSELY,
IT BECOMES "IN THIS WAY, I AM DOING THIS MYSELF."
IT DOESN'T SOUND TOO PROVOCATIVE,
BUT KEEP IN MIND THIS WAS THE 1400s.
THIS IS A TIME WHEN SELF-RELIANCE
AND PUTTING HUMAN REASON FIRST
WERE CONSIDERED A THREAT TO THE CHURCH.
THE CHURCH ALWAYS WAS SUPPOSED TO COME FIRST,
AND HUMANS WERE JUST ITS OBEDIENT SERVANTS.
SO, BETWEEN CHOPPING UP HUMAN CORPSES
AND THE IDEA THAT THE HUMAN BODY MIGHT BE A MARVEL OF SCIENCE
AND NOT GOD --
THOSE WERE TWO THINGS THAT MAY HAVE PUT DA VINCI
ON A SHORT LIST OF PEOPLE TO KEEP A CLOSE, WATCHFUL,
AND POTENTIALLY SUPPRESSIVE EYE ON.
HERE WE HAVE THE ORIGINAL DRAWING.
McKinley: THIS IS THE ORIGINAL DRAWING?
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL DRAWING.
I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH.
OH, MY GOD.
Levy: OKAY. WELL, WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK.
WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH.
OKAY.
Rolle: OH.
WOW.
YES.
DID YOU EVER THINK, IN A MILLION YEARS,
THAT YOU WOULD BE THIS CLOSE TO A LEONARDO DA VINCI SKETCH?
HOW ABOUT THIS?
TO A
THAT'S WHAT'S INTERESTING.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT A SELF-PORTRAIT
OF LEONARDO DA VINCI?
OF COURSE. I AM SURE ABOUT IT.
REALLY?
YEAH.
AFTER SOME YEARS, THEY STARTED WORKING,
AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS
WAS THE DISCOVERY OF THE MICROCHEMICAL COMPOSITION
OF OUR DRAWING
THAT PERFECTLY MATCHES THE COMPOSITION
OF THE PAPER OF OTHER THREE DRAWINGS
ATTRIBUTED TO LEONARDO DA VINCI.
IT'S THE SAME PAPER USED FOR KNOWN DA VINCI WORKS?
THIS IS THE SAME PAPER?
YES, EXACTLY.
WE FIND OUT THAT, ON THE BACK OF OUR DRAWING,
THERE ARE EVIDENT TRACES OF GLUE,
AND THE SAME TRACES OF GLUE
ARE IN THE PAGE 1,033 OF THE
TO EXPLAIN THE
FIRST YOU GOT TO KNOW WHAT A CODEX IS.
IT'S A COLLECTION OF ANCIENT WORKS.
THE
IS ESSENTIALLY DA VINCI'S BRAIN ON PAPER,
BRINGING TOGETHER HIS PERSONAL JOURNALS,
SKETCHES, PHILOSOPHIES, AND INVENTIONS.
LET ME PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE HOW IMPORTANT THIS BOOK IS.
A SMALLER COLLECTION OF DA VINCI'S
SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS, CALLED THE
WAS PURCHASED IN 1994 FOR $30 MILLION.
THE BUYER WAS BILL GATES.
THE
DA VINCI'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD
WAS HUNDREDS OF YEARS AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
BUT THE
DA VINCI'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD
MAY HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS AHEAD OF
DA VINCI PREDICTED SO MUCH OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY.
FIGURING OUT EXACTLY WHAT ELSE HE PREDICTED
MAY TELL US WHAT KIND OF FUTURE WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.
Levy: IS THERE ANYTHING IN THAT PARTICULAR PAGE,
CONTENT-WISE OR THEMATICALLY, THAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?
THAT'S CURIOUS BECAUSE THAT PAGE TELLS ABOUT PROPHECIES.
THAT SAME PAGE THAT WAS REMOVED BY THE CARDINAL...
YEAH, PAGE 1,033.
...HAS PROPHECIES ON IT?
YES. YES.
AND IT'S ONLY ONE IN THE ENTIRE
THAT DOES TALK ABOUT PROPHECIES?
YES, EXACTLY.
THIS IS WHY THIS DRAWING MATTERS.
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE PAGE 1,033 OF THE
IS DA VINCI TRYING TO TELL THE WORLD
SOMETHING ABOUT ITS FUTURE.
HIS PREDICTIONS ARE GRIM.
DA VINCI WRITES OF ENTIRE FORESTS BEING DESTROYED
AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
HE REFERS TO THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES
AND THE SLAUGHTER OF MAN.
ONE OF HIS MOST RECURRING THEMES IS DESTRUCTION BY WATER,
FLOOD, OR TIDAL WAVE.
FOR CENTURIES, DA VINCI SCHOLARS HAVE SCANNED EVERY INCH
OF PAGE 1,033,
TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE PROPHECY
AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE MISSING PIECE IS.
SO, THE IDEA THAT THIS DRAWING MAY NOT ONLY BE A DA VINCI
BUT THE MISSING PIECE IN PART OF THE PROPHECY IS HUGE.
ADD TO THAT THAT A CARDINAL
CONSIDERED SOMETHING ABOUT THIS DRAWING SO IMPORTANT
THAT HE FELT IT NEEDED TO BE CAREFULLY HIDDEN,
AND I WANT TO KNOW,
WHAT WAS HISTORY'S GREATEST MIND TRYING TO TELL US?
A
WAS REPORTEDLY FOUND HIDDEN IN THE BINDING OF A BOOK.
NOW IT'S BEEN REVEALED
THAT THE BOOK BELONGED TO A CATHOLIC CARDINAL
TASKED WITH STOMPING OUT RELIGIOUS REVOLUTIONS,
AND THE IMAGE MAY BE FROM A SECTION OF DA VINCI'S WORK
THAT FORETELLS THE END OF THE EARTH.
SO, WHY DID A CHURCH CARDINAL KEEP DA VINCI'S WORK HIDDEN
FOR ALL THESE YEARS,
POSSIBLY GOING SO FAR AS TO ERASE HIS SIGNATURE?
WERE THEY ATTEMPTING TO SUPPRESS DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES
OR DA VINCI HIMSELF?
Levy: WHEN YOU FIRST SAW THIS SKETCH,
WHAT DID YOU THINK?
MY FIRST IMPRESSION -- EXTRAORDINARY DRAWING.
AND, FOR ME, THE DRAWING IS ABOUT 1500 OR SLIGHTLY AFTER.
AND THIS IS INTERESTING.
WHEN DR. HOHENSTATT FIRST SAW THE PICTURE,
THE ARTISTIC TECHNIQUE WAS SO ADVANCED,
HE THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE FROM 1500.
HOWEVER, WHEN SCIENTISTS TESTED THE PAPER,
THEY LEARNED THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY FROM 1475.
SO, WHO COULD HAVE BEEN DOING WORK 25 YEARS
AHEAD OF HIS PEERS?
YOU GOT IT -- LEONARDO DA VINCI.
I CAN CLEARLY STATE THAT, FOR ME,
IT'S A LEONARDO DA VINCI.
FOR YOU, IT IS?
YES.
THERE'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE?
YEAH, FOR ME, IT'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE.
HOW MUCH WOULD IT BE WORTH?
THROW A NUMBER OUT THERE.
[ SIGHS ] LET'S SAY...$50 MILLION.
[ LAUGHS ]
WOW.
Dude!
Wow.
Rolle: YEAH.
WHOEVER TOOK THIS IMAGE COULD HAVE TAKEN
THE ENTIRE
WHY THIS PARTICULAR SKETCH?
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION
BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW IT, REALLY.
COULD IT BE CONNECTED IN ANY WAY TO THE FACT
THAT IT WAS SURROUNDED BY PROPHECIES?
WITH THIS, YES.
HE WAS NATURALLY ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE
BECAUSE HE WAS A RESEARCHER.
THE PROPHECIES WAS ANOTHER WAY, LOOKING AT REALITY,
TO OPEN UP, LET'S SAY, CONSIDERATIONS
WHICH, NORMALLY, PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE.
AND HE MADE ALSO SOME OF THEM ABOUT THE CHURCH,
WHICH, AT THE END, ARE CRITIQUES ALSO ON THE CHURCH.
Rolle: HEY, BRAD.
MELTZER: So, I hear you saw the picture in question.
So, was it the real deal? What do you think?
WHAT'S COMPELLING TO ME IS THEY HAVE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.
THEY HAVE DONE THEIR HOMEWORK.
THIS FEELS LIKE -- I MEAN, FROM EVERYTHING WE'RE SEEING,
IT FEELS LIKE IT DID COME OUT OF THE
So, if we're confident that it's a Leonardo,
to me, the next step is to figure out
why the cardinal would want to hide it.
THERE'S THIS IDEA THAT LEONARDO DA VINCI
AND OTHER SCIENTISTS WERE REALLY PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES,
AND THE CHURCH DIDN'T NECESSARILY WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.
Listen, da Vinci was a genius but a controversial one.
In an age when Europeans were put to death
for dissecting cadavers,
da Vinci is the guy who secretly performed
more than 30 human dissections.
And we also know that da Vinci had an alternative lifestyle.
He was arrested for an incident with a male prostitute.
And, yes, I'm sure these facts didn't sit well with the church,
but it may be something in the work itself
that troubled its leaders.
Da Vinci hid meanings and symbols throughout his art.
If we can find the theme,
it might help us figure out what he was trying to tell us
and what the church was trying to cover up.
Levy: YEAH. AND WHAT FREAKS ME OUT ABOUT THAT AVENUE
IS THAT IF THE CHURCH KNOWS THAT THERE'S A PROPHECY HERE
AND THE PROPHECY IS SO FRIGHTENING AND SCARY
AND DEVASTATING THAT THEY JUST DON'T WANT IT OUT THERE.
FATHER, WERE THERE ASPECTS
OF DA VINCI'S REVOLUTIONARY THINKING
THAT THE CHURCH MAY HAVE WANTED TO SUPPRESS?
WELL, HIS PRIVATE LIFE AND HIS HOMOSEXUALITY.
BUT THE CHURCH DOESN'T COMMEND EVERYTHING
IN HIS LIFESTYLE
OR IS NOT GIVING BLANKET APPROVAL TO EVERYTHING,
BUT, IN GENERAL,
IT RECOGNIZED THAT HERE IS A VERY GREAT
AND IMPORTANT FIGURE.
THE CHURCH WAS VERY PRUDENT ABOUT NOT INQUIRING TOO MUCH
INTO PEOPLE'S LIFESTYLE,
PROVIDED THEY KEPT IT REASONABLY DISCREET.
IS IT DISCREET TO BE DOING EXPERIMENTS ON HUMAN BODIES
IN THE BACK ROOM?
WELL, THERE WAS A STRONG TRADITION OF MEDICINE
THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE AGES,
AND MANY OF THE UNIVERSITIES HAD A MEDICAL FACULTY.
BUT THE CHURCH NEVER FORBADE -- INDEED, ENCOURAGED.
IT ENCOURAGED LOOKING AFTER ONE'S BODY
AND TAKING PROPER MEASURES WHERE NECESSARY.
SO, IN THAT, LEONARDO WAS VERY MUCH ENCOURAGED.
Meltzer: DA VINCI WAS FASCINATED WITH THE HUMAN ANATOMY.
USING ONLY THE CRUDE INSTRUMENTS OF HIS DAY,
DA VINCI DISSECTED AND DREW
THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BRAIN.
HE MADE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS
IN OUR UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE BACKBONE,
AND IN 2005,
FRANCIS WELLS DEVELOPED A REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY
TO REPAIR DAMAGED HEARTS
THAT WAS BASED ON DA VINCI'S DIAGRAMS FROM 500 YEARS AGO.
WE'RE INTERESTED IN A SKETCH FOUND
AMONG THE BELONGINGS OF THE CARDINAL TADINI.
YES.
THE THING ABOUT THIS SKETCH IS THAT IT APPEARS TO BE
A SELF-PORTRAIT, POTENTIALLY,
THAT HAS HIDDEN MEANING, HIDDEN SYMBOLS,
MIRRORED WRITING THAT SAYS SOMETHING.
WELL, THROUGHOUT THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD,
THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN THE OCCULT AND PROPHECY
AND SO ON,
SO THAT WAS QUITE STANDARD.
AND THEY ALSO LIKED WRITING IN SECRET LANGUAGE AND SO ON.
SO, THAT WAS A PART OF LIFE.
ANOTHER RENAISSANCE ARTIST
WHO WAS THOUGHT TO USE SECRET LANGUAGE WAS MICHELANGELO.
IT'S REPORTED THAT THE SISTINE CHAPEL
CONTAINS CODED MESSAGES CONSISTING OF HEBREW LETTERS
AND OLD TESTAMENT SYMBOLOGY.
LIKE LEONARDO, MICHELANGELO MAY HAVE BEEN HIDING IDEAS
THAT WOULD HAVE GOT HIM IN TROUBLE WITH THE CHURCH.
SOME SAY THE SISTINE CHAPEL CONTAINS HIDDEN ATTACKS
ON THE CORRUPT POPE JULIUS II,
THE SAME MAN WHO COMMISSIONED MICHELANGELO
TO PAINT THE SISTINE CHAPEL,
WHICH IS AN AWESOME WAY TO SAY, "SCREW YOU."
FATHER, I'M INTRIGUED THAT THE SKETCH
MAY HAVE CONTAINED HIDDEN MESSAGES
THAT WERE MEANT FOR THE FUTURE.
YES. WELL, IT'S POSSIBLE.
THEY RATHER LIKE THIS KIND OF PLAYFUL HIDING
AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SECRECY WITHIN PAINTINGS.
YES. WE FIND THAT IN MANY OTHER PAINTERS.
SO, THAT WAS COMMON TO DO?
YES. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT.
WHY WOULD HE BE HIDING DETAILS
OF WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS GONNA HAPPEN
AT THE END OF THE WORLD?
WELL, THERE WAS A GENERAL INTEREST
IN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD.
MM-HMM.
AND THE END OF THE WORLD IS SOMETHING TO BE FEARED,
'CAUSE WE'RE SINNERS,
BUT WELCOME BECAUSE WE'RE CHOSEN BY GOD,
WHICH, FOR LEONARDO, IT WAS ESSENTIAL.
SO, YOU THINK THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE ANYTHING OF DA VINCI'S
BUT WAS ACTUALLY SORT OF OWNING HIM AND...
EMBRACING HIM?
YES. BASICALLY, LEONARDO'S HAD FULL SUPPORT FROM THE CHURCH,
AND HE'S BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A VERY GREAT FIGURE.
AND, OF COURSE, THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT
THE CHURCH APPROVED OF EVERYTHING HE DID OR WROTE,
ET CETERA, ET CETERA,
BUT, BASICALLY, LEONARDO AND HIS WAY OF LIFE
AND ALL THAT HE TRIED TO DO,
THE CHURCH HAS GIVEN GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT.
TODAY THE CHURCH'S OFFICIAL STANCE
IS THEY TAKE NO ISSUE WITH DA VINCI'S WORK.
THEY SEE HIM AS A COMPLEX MAN WITH SOME FAR-OUT IDEAS
AND AN IRONIC SENSE OF HUMOR.
AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT LEONARDO EMBEDDED MESSAGES
IN MUCH OF WHAT HE DID.
SO, WHY WOULD HE PLACE A SELF-PORTRAIT
AMONG HIS MOST CRYPTIC PROPHECIES?
WE NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LEONARDO'S OTHER WORKS,
ESPECIALLY THE ONE FAMOUSLY DEBATED
AS ANOTHER POSSIBLE SELF-PORTRAIT --
THE
WE
AND IT SEEMS THAT A NEWLY DISCOVERED LEONARDO SKETCH
COULD BE THE CLUE TO UNDERSTANDING
WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO TELL US FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.
WE JUST LEARNED THAT HIDING MESSAGES INSIDE WORKS OF ART
WAS POPULAR DURING THE RENAISSANCE
AND DA VINCI WAS THE MASTER OF IT.
BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE
WHO CAN SHED LIGHT ON THE
THE COLLECTION THAT CONTAINED DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES
AS WELL AS DA VINCI'S MOST FAMOUS WORK OF ALL.
Wallace: THE
A NUMBER OF PAGES HAVE BEEN SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND, YES.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ART HISTORIANS
WHO ARE AUTHENTICATING PAGES
AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER THEY BELONG
AND WHERE THEY BELONG.
WE HEARD THAT THE
ALSO CONTAINS SOME PROPHECIES THAT LEONARDO MADE.
THEY WERE CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT HOW ONE SHOULD BEHAVE
AND HOW ONE SHOULD EXPECT THINGS TO BE.
THEY'RE KIND OF WAYS OF DEEP, DEEP THOUGHT
USING VERY CLEVER WORDING.
LEONARDO THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THE FUTURE,
AND WE KNOW HE WAS OBSESSED WITH WATER.
WHEN HE DIED, HE WAS PREPARING WHAT MANY BELIEVE
WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS LAST MASTERPIECE.
IT WAS CALLED THE
THE SKETCHES SHOW A STORM SO VIOLENT,
IT TOPPLES MOUNTAINS.
AS THE FEW SURVIVORS CLING TO RAFTS,
AN OLD MAN SITS ON A ROCK, SADLY OBSERVING THE SUFFERING,
BUT UNABLE TO HELP.
IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE OLD MAN IS LEONARDO HIMSELF --
YET ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS SELF-PORTRAIT.
THIS MAY BE A WILD THOUGHT,
BUT COULD IT BE POSSIBLE THAT THESE UNUSUAL,
UNORTHODOX SELF-PORTRAITS ARE ALL PART OF A SERIES,
ONE THAT LEADS US BACK TO PAGE 1,033
OF THE
AND ACTUALLY EXPLAINS THE PROPHECIES?
WELL, HE DESCRIBES THE FLOOD, THE DELUGE,
WITH INCREDIBLE WORDS.
IT'S VERY DESCRIPTIVE, AND IT'S VERY EVOCATIVE.
AND THE DRAWINGS ARE VERY DETAILED,
AND THEY'RE VERY SPECIFIC DRAWINGS,
LOOKING AT THE DESTRUCTION
THAT SUCH A NATURAL EVENT COULD BRING.
SO HE WAS POINTING TO THE FACT
THAT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT OUR HUMAN NATURE
IS GOING TO BE SUBJECTED TO DURING OUR LIFETIME.
IF YOU WANT TO EXTEND THAT TO THE LIFETIME
OF ALL THE ONES WHO COME AFTER US,
CERTAINLY YOU CAN SAY THAT THAT IS A WARNING TO OURSELVES
AS PART OF NATURE.
Levy: LISTENING TO MARINA WALLACE
DESCRIBE DA VINCI'S VIEWS ON NATURE,
I STARTED TO THINK HE WAS SPEAKING TO FUTURE GENERATIONS
MORE THAN HIS OWN.
I THINK LEONARDO WAS REALLY ABSORBED IN WHAT HE DID.
HE WAS VERY, VERY, VERY BUSY.
HE HAD COMMISSIONS. HE STARTED PAINTINGS.
HE DIDN'T FINISH THEM.
HE WENT ON TO SOMETHING ELSE, TRAVELED.
REMEMBER THAT TRAVELING TOOK A LONG TIME.
HE TOOK THE
AND HE LEFT WORK UNFINISHED ALL THE TIME.
YOU SAID HE TOOK THE
WE KNOW THAT THE
IT'S ONE OF THE PAINTINGS THAT TRAVELED,
THAT HE LIKED TO HAVE WITH HIM.
OKAY.
IF YOU TELL ME THAT DA VINCI HAND-CARRIED
THE
I WANT TO KNOW WHY.
WAS HE PROTECTING SOMETHING BIGGER THAN THE PAINTING ITSELF?
THE
THIS SEEMINGLY SIMPLE IMAGE IS POSSIBLY
THE MOST WIDELY RECOGNIZED AND STUDIED PIECE OF ART
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
IT'S ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH MORE THAN $700 MILLION.
BUT COULD THERE BE MORE TO THIS PAINTING THAN MEETS THE EYE?
THIS ISN'T A NOVEL.
COULD THE
TO CRACK A CODE THAT SPANS DA VINCI'S LIFE'S WORK?
THERE'S WATER IN THE BACKGROUND
OF THE
Wallace: THAT'S RIGHT. YES.
'CAUSE THERE'S LOWER WATER ON ONE SIDE
AND HIGHER WATER ON THE OTHER.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF LANDSCAPES,
AND THERE IS A FIGURE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT,
SO THAT THEY DON'T COMBINE COMPLETELY
IF YOU REMOVE THE FIGURE.
IF YOU REMOVE THE FIGURE, THERE WOULD BE A DELUGE OF WATER
FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER.
Meltzer: THE BACKGROUND OF THE
LOOKS LIKE A BEAUTIFUL NATURE SCENE.
BUT LOOK CLOSER.
THE WATER IS CLEARLY HIGHER ON ONE SIDE THAN THE OTHER,
AS THOUGH A FLOOD IS INEVITABLE.
AND HERE'S THE THING.
IF YOU PULL THE MONA LISA OUT OF THE PAINTING,
THE WATERS COME CRASHING TOGETHER.
THE ONLY THING STOPPING THE FLOOD
IS THE ALLEGED SELF-PORTRAIT.
SO, AGAIN, WE HAVE TO ASK,
COULD THE
LEONARDO'S STORY OF THE END OF THE WORLD?
HE WAS TRYING REALLY HARD TO PUT ACROSS FEELINGS
AND EMOTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS AS IN A HUMAN BEING
AS WELL AS IN NATURE.
AND THAT'S WHY HE WAS INTERESTED IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENA
OF FLOODS AND DELUGES
AND THINGS IN WHICH NATURE EXPRESSED ITSELF
IN SUCH AN EXPRESSIVE WAY.
CLEARLY, WE NEED TO LOOK DEEPER INTO THE
THE PAINTING THAT NEVER LEFT LEONARDO'S SIDE.
WHO WAS MONA LISA,
AND WHAT WAS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PAINTING?
ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS COULD BE THE KEY
TO UNLOCKING DA VINCI'S FINAL PROPHECY.
FOR ONE YEAR, LEONARDO LIVED THERE,
EXACTLY IN THAT BUILDING.
Levy: DA VINCI LIVED RIGHT THERE?
YES. FOR ONE, ONE-HALF YEAR FROM 1500 TO 1501.
WHO DO YOU THINK THE MONA LISA WAS?
I BELIEVE THAT MONA LISA IS LISA GHERARDINI.
THE RELATIONSHIP IS BETWEEN
FRANCESCO DEL GIOCONDO, LISA'S HUSBAND,
AND SER PIERO, THE FATHER OF LEONARDO.
GIUSEPPE'S ENGLISH IS A LOT BETTER THAN MY ITALIAN.
BUT LET ME TRANSLATE.
HE WAS ABLE TO TRACE LISA GHERARDINI'S HUSBAND
TO LEONARDO DA VINCI'S FATHER.
SO GIUSEPPE BELIEVES WHEN FRANCESCO DEL GIOCONDO
WANTED SOMETHING TO HANG ON HIS MANTLE,
HE COMMISSIONED HIS FRIEND'S KID
TO PAINT THE PORTRAIT OF HIS WIFE.
LITTLE DID HE KNOW, HE WAS HIRING
ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED MEN IN HISTORY TO TURN HIS WIFE
INTO ONE OF THE MOST IMMORTAL IMAGES OF ALL TIME.
I WANT TO GO SEE WHERE LISA GHERARDINI IS BURIED.
YOU HAVE TO MEET SILVANO VINCETTI AND HIS TEAM
BECAUSE THEY ARE INVESTIGATING UNDER THE OLD CHURCH
WHERE, PROBABLY, LISA WAS BURIED.
RIGHT HERE IN FLORENCE?
YES. EXACTLY.
GIUSEPPE'S THEORY IS PLAUSIBLE BUT UNPROVEN.
BUT YOU KNOW WHERE WE GOT ACCESS TO?
THE DIG SITE WHERE THEY'RE NOW EXHUMING THE BONES
OF LISA GHERARDINI
WITH THE HOPE OF MAKING A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION.
HELLO.
HELLO. SCOTT.
[ SPEAKS ITALIAN ]
WELCOME.
AND NOW WE'LL TAKE A GREAT TOUR
OF THE DIG SITE WE'RE EXPLORING.
Rolle: OKAY. THAT SOUNDS EXCITING.
Interpreter: THE EXCAVATION DIG BEGAN HERE,
WHERE, IN THE CHURCH, WAS LOCATED THE ALTAR.
THEY USED A MACHINE,
SO THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHERE THEY SHOULD DIG FOR THE GRAVES.
THEY REFERRED TO A BOOK BY THE FRANCISCAN MONK
THAT WROTE ABOUT THEM BRINGING FOUR BODIES
TO THIS CRYPT IN THE 1600s.
AND THEY BELIEVED THAT
LISA GHERARDINI'S BODY WAS BROUGHT HERE,
FROM THAT BOOK.
[ SPEAKING ITALIAN ]
THEY KEPT DIGGING, AND, IN FACT, THEY FOUND A SKULL.
IF WE FIND THE BONES, WE CAN RECONSTRUCT THE FACE.
AND IT HAS VERY, VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING ANTHROPOLOGISTS CAN DO,
BUT ART HISTORIANS CANNOT.
SO WHAT WILL SILVANO VINCETTI DO WITH THE REMAINS?
THROUGH DNA EXTRACTION AND FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION,
SCIENTISTS CAN MAKE A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE DECEASED.
VINCETTI HAS SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED
THIS CONTROVERSIAL TECHNIQUE BEFORE,
AND IF IT WORKS, IT COULD PROVE WHETHER THE MONA LISA
IS, IN FACT, LISA GHERARDINI
OR ANOTHER OF DA VINCI'S SELF-PORTRAITS.
BUT THIS IS THE HARD PART OF BEING ON THE CUTTING EDGE
OF AN INVESTIGATION --
UNTIL THEY LITERALLY DIG A LITTLE DEEPER,
THE LAST PAGE OF THIS PART OF THE STORY
WILL REMAIN UNWRITTEN.
IF YOU KNEW 100% THAT THE BONES OF LISA GHERARDINI
WERE HERE,
WHAT WOULD THAT TELL US ABOUT THE PAINTING,
THE
LEONARDO...
Interpreter: LEONARDO WROTE IN MANY PAINTING BOOKS
THAT YOU HAVE TO EXPRESS THE MODEL IN SYMBOLS
WITHIN THE PAINTING.
AND HE USED THAT.
LEONARDO ALWAYS THOUGHT THE EYES
EXPRESSED THE PERSON'S SOUL THE BEST,
AND SO MAYBE HE WAS SENDING US A MESSAGE TO SAY,
"LOOK VERY CLOSELY."
Rolle: SO HAVE YOU FOUND ANY SYMBOLS
HIDDEN IN THE
WHAT I FOUND WAS, IN THE LEFT EYE,
THERE IS THE LETTER "S."
IN THE RIGHT EYE, THERE'S A LETTER "L."
THEN, IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE PAINTING,
UNDERNEATH THE ARCH, THERE IS THE NUMBER 72.
DURING THIS PERIOD OF THE RENAISSANCE,
GEOMETRIC SYMBOLS AND NUMBERS WERE VERY IMPORTANT.
WHEN YOU'RE INVESTIGATING SIGNS AND SYMBOLS,
THE NUMBERS 7 AND 2 COME UP TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
I HIDE THE NUMBER 27 IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY NOVELS.
AND THEY WERE CLEARLY SPECIAL NUMBERS TO LEONARDO.
DA VINCI USED 27 AND 72 DEGREES
AS THE BASIS FOR
THE NUMBERS SHOW UP REPEATEDLY IN HIS PAINTINGS,
AND HE EVEN INVENTED HIS OWN SHAPE THAT HAS 72 SIDES.
Interpreter: WHEN I FOUND THE NUMBER 72, I THOUGHT OF
BECAUSE IN THE PAINTING, THE CEILING HAS 72 INLAYS.
7 AND 2 ALSO REFER TO JOHN'S GOSPEL
TALKING ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE.
CLEARLY DA VINCI WAS FIXATED ON 2 AND 7.
SILVANO SAYS 27 REFERS TO THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS,
IN WHICH JESUS TELLS APOSTLE JOHN
ABOUT A VIOLENT SERIES OF EVENTS AT THE END OF THE WORLD.
72 IS ALSO A BIBLICAL REFERENCE.
IT REFERS TO THE NUMBER OF RACES THAT SURVIVED NOAH'S ARK.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THE NUMBER 72 DOESN'T JUST RELATE TO AN APOCALYPTIC STORY,
BUT TO A STORY DESCRIBING A WORLDWIDE FLOOD.
Interpreter: LEONARDO KNEW VERY WELL
THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE.
AND IN HIS LIBRARY, PERSONAL LIBRARY,
HE HAD THESE PASSAGES WRITTEN OUT.
McKinley: SO IF WE DO LOOK VERY CLOSELY AT THE
DO YOU THINK HE'S TELLING US SOMETHING
THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?
LEONARDO DA VINCI USED TO SAY
THAT THE PAINTING IS THE APPEARANCE
THAT DRESSES THE TRUTH.
IF YOU LOOK IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE PAINTING,
YOU'LL SEE THAT THE LANDSCAPE IS UNFINISHED.
MEANWHILE, MONA LISA IS VERY CLEAR.
AND IT'S SAYING THAT MEN HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY NATURE,
SO BE CAREFUL.
THE GENIUS OF LEONARDO IS THAT HE WAS ABLE TO PUT
ALL THAT HE LEARNED INSIDE HIS PAINTINGS
AND PUT MESSAGES IN THERE THAT SPEAK TO US OVER THE AGES.
SILVANO STILL HAS SEVERAL TESTS TO RUN
BEFORE HE CAN PROVE IF LISA GHERARDINI
WAS OR WAS NOT THE MONA LISA.
BUT WE'VE LEARNED SOME INVALUABLE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE
MAYBE THE KEY TO THE
BUT THAT HER CANVAS CARRIES THE NUMBER 72.
DA VINCI USES 72 IN HIS WORK ALMOST AS OFTEN
AS HE USES THE THEME OF WATER AND FLOODS.
AND WE JUST LEARNED THAT 72 MAY, IN FACT,
BE A DIRECT REFERENCE TO A BIBLICAL FLOOD.
DA VINCI'S MESSAGE MAY BE STARTING TO COME TOGETHER.
BU
DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES FROM THE
THE COLLECTION OF DA VINCI'S SKETCHES AND IDEAS
COMPILED AFTER HIS DEATH.
THEY'VE BEEN SCOURING HIS WORK FOR CLUES,
AND THERE'S EVIDENCE THAT DA VINCI'S USE
OF THE NUMBER 72 IN HIS WORK
MAY BE A REFERENCE TO A FLOOD OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS.
DA VINCI WAS CENTURIES AHEAD OF HIS TIME
IN MANY OF HIS ENGINEERING AND SCIENTIFIC FEATS.
HE PREDICTED THE TANK, THE SUBMARINE, DRIVING DEVICES.
IF HE PROPHESIZED A GREAT FLOOD,
THIS IS THE GUY I'M GONNA LISTEN TO.
SO WHY WAS DA VINCI OBSESSED WITH WATER,
AND WHAT EXACTLY WAS HE PREDICTING?
McKinley: IN HIS WORK, I SEE A LOT OF WATER,
YOU KNOW, FLOWING WATER
AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WATER BEHIND THE MONA LISA.
WHY HIS OBSESSION WITH WATER?
WATER, WHILE A VERY POSITIVE ELEMENT IN NATURE,
ONE THAT ALLOWED YOU TO GROW THINGS,
THAT WAS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORTATION,
COULD ALSO BE EXTREMELY VIOLENT.
LEONARDO NOT ONLY MADE MANY DRAWINGS OF WATER
AND INCLUDED THE REPRESENTATION OF WATER AND AQUEOUS BODIES
IN MANY OF HIS PAINTINGS,
BUT HE ALSO WROTE ABOUT WATER IN THE
AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT FLOODING,
THE DANGERS OF FLOODING,
AND HOW CONSCIOUS LEONARDO WOULD HAVE BEEN OF THAT --
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE WROTE IN THE
"THE SWOLLEN RIVERS OVERFLOW
AND SUBMERGE THE WIDE LOWLANDS AND ITS INHABITANTS."
THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOME GREAT MYSTERY,
SOME GREAT APOCALYPTIC HAPPENING...
McKinley: IT DOES.
...THAT LEONARDO IS FORETELLING.
ANOTHER THING THAT LEONARDO WRITES TO US
IN THE
IS THAT "SEAWATER WILL RISE
"ABOVE THE HIGH PEAKS OF MOUNTAINS TOWARDS THE SKY
AND WILL FALL DOWN AGAIN TOWARDS THE MOUNTAIN OF MEN."
THIS ALSO SOUNDS REALLY MYSTERIOUS, DOESN'T IT?
IT SOUNDS LIKE LEONARDO'S TELLING US SOMETHING.
HE'S PREDICTING THE FUTURE.
BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO READ THIS THIS WAY.
LEONARDO COULD JUST BE TALKING ABOUT THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT HE WOULD HAVE WITNESSED ANYTIME A RIVER OVERFLOWED.
IT HAPPENED FREQUENTLY.
WHOLE VILLAGES WERE SWEPT AWAY
BY THE NATURAL COURSE OF WATER THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE.
WHY DIDN'T HE WRITE THAT IN PAST TENSE, THEN?
YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF "RISES" OR "WILL RISE,"
WHY DIDN'T HE SAY, "THEY ROSE"?
BECAUSE TIME AND NATURE WERE THOUGHT OF AS CYCLES,
THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION
TO KNOWING THAT THIS HAD BEEN THE CASE IN THE PAST
WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ASSUME THAT THAT STATE WOULD RETURN AGAIN
AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.
LEONARDO UNDERSTOOD THE BEST WAY TO SEE INTO THE FUTURE
IS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR PAST.
WHERE MOST PEOPLE SAW CHAOS,
HE SAW RHYTHMS AND PATTERNS AND CYCLES.
IT'S POSSIBLE DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES
DREW ON HIS OWN OBSERVATIONS OF NATURAL DISASTERS
TO PREDICT FUTURE CATASTROPHES --
SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN SPECTACULARLY BAD AT
IN THE PAST DECADE AND EVEN IN THE LAST YEAR.
WE KNOW DA VINCI'S WORK FROM FIVE CENTURIES AGO
HAS HELPED US MAKE BREAKTHROUGHS TODAY.
IF DA VINCI HAD A METHOD FOR PREDICTING DISASTERS,
WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HE FORESAW.
Rolle: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?
DO YOU THINK THE
HAS ANY OF THESE PROPHECIES THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT?
A 72 KEEPS COMING UP,
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A TIME
THAT PEOPLE DID BURY SORT OF SYMBOLS
AND MESSAGES IN ARTWORK.
I MEAN, IT WASN'T UNCOMMON AT THE TIME.
WE KNOW THAT DA VINCI WAS WELL AWARE OF RIDDLES,
OF MIRROR WRITING,
OF EMBEDDING SORT OF MYSTERIES
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE PAINTING.
WHAT ELSE COULD HE BE HIDING IN THERE INTENTIONALLY?
HOW ABOUT THE MISSING SKETCH
THAT WE SAW FROM THE
DO YOU THINK THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH,
THROUGH THE CARDINAL, WAS HIDING IT FOR SOME REASON?
AND WHAT REASON DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT BE?
I THINK THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HIM
AND KNOWS THAT HE HAS A HUGE FAN BASE.
AND SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING HE'S SAYING
THAT DOESN'T SUPPORT THEM OR HELP THEM,
OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA RIP OUT THE PAGES AND REPRESS IT.
NOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED,
BUT I COULD ABSOLUTELY SEE THAT HAPPENING.
[ FIREWORKS EXPLODING ]
OH, LOOK.
[ Laughing ] YES!
OH, GOD!
SO, DO YOU THINK DA VINCI PROPHESIZED FIREWORKS?
ONE OF HIS PROPHECIES FROM THE
READS LIKE THIS, "IT SHALL SEEM TO MEN
"THAT THEY SEE NEW DESTRUCTIONS IN THE SKY
"AND THE FLAMES DESCENDING THEREFROM
SHALL SEEM TO HAVE TAKEN NIGHT."
[ Laughing ] WOW.
THAT DOES SEEM LIKE A PROPHECY, DOESN'T IT?
RIGHT THERE.
BU
DECIPHERING DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES.
MANY OF HIS WRITINGS SEEM TO BE APOCALYPTIC.
AND WE LEARNED HE HAD AN OBSESSION WITH WATER,
TIDAL WAVES, AND FLOODS.
BUT HERE'S THE KEY QUESTION --
WAS DA VINCI PREDICTING A SPECIFIC EVENT
WE CAN PREPARE FOR,
OR WAS HE SIMPLY OBSERVING THE CYCLES OF NATURE?
McKinley: HELLO, MARCO.
Vinci: [ SPEAKING ITALIAN ]
Rolle: WE'VE BEEN LOOKING INTO LEONARDO AS A VISIONARY
AND, REALLY, SOMEONE WHO MAY HAVE WRITTEN PROPHECIES.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SOME OF HIS WRITINGS
WERE ACTUALLY PROPHECIES?
WHEN WORK ON THE FLORENCE CATHEDRAL BEGAN IN 1296,
THE ARCHITECTS HAD NO IDEA
HOW TO BUILD A CHURCH OF THAT SIZE,
BUT THEY WERE CONFIDENT THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS
WOULD RISE TO THE OCCASION.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES WEREN'T PUT ON IT UNTIL 173 YEARS LATER,
WHEN A YOUNG APPRENTICE OF VERROCCHIO'S NAMED LEONARDO
IS SAID TO HAVE WORKED ON THE DESIGN OF A BRASS BALL
TO SIT ATOP THE DOME.
THIS WAS HOW DA VINCI THOUGHT.
SOMEONE HAD A DREAM OF STARTING
THE WORLD'S MOST MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL,
AND TWO CENTURIES LATER,
HE'S USING ALL THE ADVANCEMENTS IN ART, ARCHITECTURE,
AND ENGINEERING TO COMPLETE IT.
JUST AS HIS DREAMS OF AN UNDERWATER APPARATUS
AND FLYING MACHINES
WOULD BE REALIZED THROUGH THE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS
OF GENERATIONS AFTER HIM.
SO MAYBE VISIONARY, YES. PROPHET, NO?
MAYBE THAT'S WHY WE'RE DRAWN TO HIM SO MUCH
IS HE REALLY BELIEVED HUMAN BEINGS COULD DO IT,
THAT HUMAN BEINGS COULD SYNTHESIZE EVERYTHING WE KNOW.
LEONARDO BELIEVED IN OUR ABILITY TO FURTHER HIS IDEAS,
BUT WHICH IDEAS?
WOULD WE PURSUE HIS INNOVATIONS IN MEDICINE AND ENGINEERING
THAT IMPROVED HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE,
OR WOULD WE TAKE HIS DESIGNS FOR WEAPONS AND WAR MACHINES?
DID DA VINCI PROPHESIZE A FUTURE
IN WHICH WE USED HIS IDEAS TO IMPROVE THE WORLD
OR TO DESTROY IT?
BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT HAVE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS.
Levy: YOU GUYS PROBABLY DON'T BELIEVE THIS --
MY FIRST FULL-ON GELATO SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE.
REALLY?
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT.
I WAS WAITING TILL WE GOT TO THE END, TO MILAN.
ALL ROADS HAVE LED US TO MILAN, AND I WANTED TO END ON IT.
WHAT BETTER PLACE TO TRY TO CONCLUDE THIS?
DO YOU GUYS THINK THAT LEONARDO DA VINCI
IS TRYING TO SPEAK TO US FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE?
HELL, YEAH.
I WOULD SAY THAT HE'S NOT TRYING TO SPEAK TO US
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE, BUT HE DEFINITELY IS.
HIS MESSAGE, IN GENERAL, WAS LEARN, GET KNOWLEDGE,
FIND OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
YOU CAN NEVER KNOW ENOUGH.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THOUGH, I DO THINK
THAT HE WAS NOT PROPHESIZING
THE END OF THE WORLD OR SOME SORT OF ARMAGEDDON,
BUT JUST LETTING US KNOW
LOTS OF THINGS HE SAW THAT WE WERE DOING
THAT WERE GONNA HARM OUR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.
I THINK THAT HE'S JUST A GUY
THAT WAS SO FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME, SO BRILLIANT,
AND SYNTHESIZING SO MUCH INFORMATION
FROM SO MANY DIRECTIONS
AND HE GOT SO MUCH RIGHT THAT HE DOES START TO LOOK PROPHETIC.
WHEN HE STARTS TO TALK ABOUT DEFORESTATION,
IT'S BECAUSE HE UNDERSTOOD THAT,
WITH THE HUMAN MIND,
YOU CAN QUICKLY LEARN HOW NOT JUST TO CHOP DOWN ONE TREE,
BUT CHOP DOWN A HUNDRED TREES IN A DAY.
HE FORESAW A TIME WHEN HUMAN BEINGS
AND THEIR TECHNOLOGY
WOULD BEGIN TO HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT
ON THE NATURAL WORLD, WHEREAS BEFORE,
THE NATURAL WORLD DID ITS OWN THING
AND HUMANS COULDN'T REALLY CONTROL IT.
I MEAN, HE WAS TRYING TO, RIGHT,
WITH IRRIGATION AND CHANGING THE FLOW OF WATER.
BUT HE WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT, "WAIT A MINUTE.
"IF THERE ARE ENOUGH OF US,
WE'RE GONNA START HAVING AN EFFECT."
AND THAT'S HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE ITS TIME.
AS YOU KNOW, LIKE IN AMERICAN LITERATURE,
THEY DON'T START TO TALK ABOUT THAT TILL 1950s OR SOMETHING.
I MEAN, IT'S NOT EVEN A DISCUSSION.
IT'S ALWAYS LIKE, "HOW CAN WE OVERCOME NATURE?
HOW CAN WE OVERCOME OUR HUMAN NATURE?"
AND HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THESE AREN'T THINGS TO OVERCOME --
THESE ARE THINGS TO LIVE IN SYNC WITH.
MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING TO US IS,
"BE HUMANISTS," YOU KNOW?
"REALIZE THE HUMAN POTENTIAL,
AND LIVE YOUR OWN HUMAN POTENTIAL."
I REALLY CAN'T HELP BUT LOOKING AT
HIS ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATIONS
AS SORT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
THAT HE'S LEFT US IN A LOT OF WAYS
AND A RESPONSIBILITY, TOO.
AND THAT RESPONSIBILITY IS, YOU KNOW,
DON'T DEPLETE ALL OF YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES.
YOU KNOW, DON'T CREATE TECHNOLOGY
THAT CAN KILL ONE ANOTHER.
AND SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT A GUY
WHO IS SPEAKING TO US FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
AND SPEAKING TO US MAYBE FOR ALL TIME.
CAN WE DUMP THESE NOW?
YES.
IT'S THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS RIGHT HERE.
WE HAVE A LITTLE MAXWELL'S DEMON IN A CUP.
LOOKS LIKE MELTED ICE CREAM TO ME.
DA VINCI WOULD TOTALLY GET MY JOKES IF HE WERE AROUND.
YOU GUYS DON'T.
[ LAUGHS ]
Meltzer: WHAT SENT US DOWN THIS PATH WAS A NEWFOUND PORTRAIT
BY LEONARDO DA VINCI
THAT CAME FROM HIS BOOK OF PROPHECIES.
SO WHAT DID THE PORTRAIT MEAN?
WAS IT A HINT, A CLUE, A PROPHECY IN ITSELF?
IT WAS.
BECAUSE IT'S DA VINCI HIMSELF WHO'S THE ANSWER.
IT'S DA VINCI HIMSELF WHO HAS ABSOLUTE PROOF
OF THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL SECRET,
THAT THE FUTURE IS CREATED BY US, BY HUMAN INNOVATION.
SO WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?
IT DEPENDS HOW BIG WE'RE WILLING TO DREAM.
ALMOST 500 YEARS AGO,
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF DA VINCI'S INVENTIONS FAILED.
THE WINGS DIDN'T HELP HIM FLY,
THE SCUBA GEAR WAS MADE FROM A SUIT OF LEATHER,
HIS PRE-HELICOPTER NEVER TOOK OFF,
BUT OVER TIME,
AS HUMAN INNOVATION CAUGHT UP WITH HIS IDEAS, THEY ALL WORKED.
IT IS HIS ULTIMATE PROPHECY --
BE DARING, BE DARING, ALWAYS BE DARING.
THERE IS NO BIG DREAM UNLESS YOU DREAM BIG.