Renaissance means rebirth, and the Renaissance period, means a "period of rebirth". Exactly what is mankind rebirthing? One needs only to look at the cover of a World History book to discover the exact impact that the renaissance period had on the world.  The free thinking of the period is still common place in today's society and is as much the cornerstone of intellect, as the process of adding and subtracting is to mathematics. 

Humanism

A Humanist is a person having a strong interest in or concern for human welfare, values, and dignity (Dictionary.com).  The Renaissance signaled a rebirth of these classic virtues.  It started through education and then seeped into society from there.

When Gutenberg (Encyclopedia Brittanica 2007)  invented the printing press in 1445, it changed the lives of people in Europe and, eventually, all over the world. Previously, bookmaking entailed copying all the words and illustrations by hand. Often the copying had been done onto parchment, animal skin that had been scraped until it was clean, smooth, and thin. The labor that went into creating them made each book very expensive. Because Gutenberg's press could produce books quickly and with relatively little effort, bookmaking became much less expensive, allowing more people to buy reading material. In the Middle Ages, books had been costly and education rare; only the clergy had been regular readers and owners of books. Most books had been written in Latin, considered the language of scholarship. In the Renaissance, the educated middle classes, who could now afford books, demanded works in their own languages. Furthermore, readers wanted a greater variety of books. Almanacs, travel books, chivalry romances, and poetry were all published at this time. Simultaneously, a means of printing music was also invented, making music available at a reasonable cost. As the demand for books grew, the book trade began to flourish throughout Europe, and industries related to it, such as papermaking, thrived as well. The result of all of this was a more literate populace and a stronger economy.

Books also helped to spread awareness of a new philosophy that emerged when Renaissance scholars known as humanists  returned to the works of ancient writers. Previously, during the Middle Ages, scholars had been guided by the teachings of the church, and people had concerned themselves with actions leading to heavenly rewards.(Kreis) The writings of ancient, pagan Greece and Rome, called the "classics," had been greatly ignored. To study the classics, humanists learned to read Greek and ancient Latin, and they sought out manuscripts that had lain undisturbed for nearly 2,000 years.

The humanists rediscovered writings on scientific matters, government, rhetoric, philosophy, and art. They were influenced by the knowledge of these ancient civilizations and by the emphasis placed on man, his intellect, and his life and what it meant to live. These writings would change the way the world thought and forever inspire artist to pursue their own insight.

Florence

The Renaissance was a rebirth that occurred throughout most of Europe. However, the changes that we associate with the Renaissance first occurred in the Italian city of Florence and continued to be more pervasive there than anywhere else. The city's economy and its writers, painters, architects, and philosophers all made Florence a model of Renaissance culture.

Fifteenth-century Florence was an exciting place to be. In 1425 the city was a self-governed, independent city-state. (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition) Because of its strong economy and a political philosophy that was dedicated to the welfare of the city, Florence thrived. Florence came under the control of Cosimo de' Medici, a wealthy merchant and patron of the arts. Although republican forms were kept until the 16th century the Medici family ruled, and Lorenzo de' Medici, who held power from 1469 to 1492, was a major benefactor compensating artist for their new ways of thinking.(Wikipedia December 2007) Lorenzo commissioned Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) for seven years.

In addition to commissions for art and architecture, the Medici were prolific collectors and today their acquisitions form the core of the Uffizi museum in Florence.