The interest in observation and measurement took many forms during the Renaissance. Sailors had long been concerned about their exact location at sea. They used the stars to determine where they were. Their skills improved enormously with the invention of the compass. Perhaps the most detailed observations of the 1500's were of the human body. In 1543 the anatomist Andreas Vesalius produced a magnificently illustrated book containing the latest observations.
Observation also led to inventions. A fertile inventor was Leonardo da Vinci, who made suggestions ranging from improved machines, with ratchets and gears, to possible ways of flying. Engineering skills were also required to build and maintain a press like the one in this printing shop.
Leonardo's flying machine
