Summary
QUESTION Did Baron von Kempelen invent a humanoid robot that beat all challengers, including Napoleon, at chess in the 18th century?
ELABORATE mechanical toys were popular in the courts of late 18th century Europe. In 1769, Wolfgang von Kempelen, a 35-year-old Hungarian civil servant, observed the Frenchman Pelletier create illusions with magnets for Austrian Empress Maria Theresa at the Schonnbrun Palace in Vienna.See the full content of this document
Extract
Turk's Murky Secret ; Answers to Correspondents
Inspired by this, Kempelen claimed he could invent a chess- playing automaton and returned home to Presburg, Hungary, to make one. The result was The Turk: a mechanical man, dressed in an oriental costume, seated behind a wooden cabinet and capable of playing chess.
Kempelen intended his chess-playing machine merely to amuse the court, but in 17...See the full content of this document
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