Leonardo da Vinci, that medieval genius, (AD1452 – 1520), made a study of friction and was able to distinguish between rolling and sliding friction. Many of his design studies contained forms of bearings not entirely dissimilar from those in use today. Unfortunately, manufacturing techniques had not caught up with the designer’s dreams and, consequently, they remained figments of his fertile imagination. From then to the 18th Century, many types and forms of bearings are described in contemporary technical literature and, presumably, some of these would have been made with varying degrees of success. Again, manufacturing techniques and materials would have militated against any consistent performance.