“Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius”

You’d think that painting the freaking Mona Lisa might be enough to fulfill a guy, but not Leonardo da Vinci. He couldn’t get himself to stop inventing things that were not only useful but hundreds of years before their time. The new exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius” at the Houston Museum of Natural Science displays his flying machines, robots, underwater breathing equipment and solar-powered devices, all created centuries before electricity, industry and the existence of the United States.

The interactive exhibition, which showcases more than 50 custom wooden machines built according to Leonardo’s blueprints, will not only impress you, it might make you wonder why mankind just didn’t throw up its hands and give up when the great inventor died in 1519. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Through September 1. One Hermann Circle Drive. For information, call 713-639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org. $9 to $15.
March 7-Sept. 1, 2008