Books
by Tom Standage
|
The Mechanical Turk - the True Story of the Chess-playing Machine that Fooled the World |
In 1769 Wolfgang von Kempelen produced a mechanical toy to amuse the court of Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. It consisted of a life-size, oriental figure, seated behind a cabinet on which rested a chess board and pieces, capable of playing and winning a game against a human volunteer. It played and beat, amongst others, Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin during its 85 year career. Hoax or mechanical brain? All is revealed in this fascinating account.
(James Baker - bwl 23 April 2004) |
|
|
|
