Rube Goldberg Inventions
Throughout his early life, Rube Goldberg's father pushed him to become an engineer. He complied and went to Berkeley for engineering, but it wasn't long before his artistic tendencies made him look into the life of a cartoonist. He used his engineering skills and artistic talents to create imaginary contraptions called "Rube Goldberg Machines."
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Concept
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Rube Goldberg machines operate using an overly complicated system of pulleys and wheels to complete a simple task. For example, a Rube Goldberg machine could depict a seemingly random process of events that resulted in something as simple as applying a cube of butter to a slice of toast. The contraptions could take upwards of 20 different small processes to create the desired outcome. Some aspects of the machines were ludicrous to say the least -- animals acting in particular ways to help the operation of the machine, so not all of the inventions were operational.
Public Reception
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The public reveled in the intricate Rube Goldberg machines. At the tail end of the Industrial Revolution, people still felt fascinated by the seemingly limitless application of technology and how it could influence their lives. Rube Goldberg took the concept of using technology for simple tasks to an extreme degree, drawing contraptions that could handle even the most mundane of activities in a person's daily schedule. While some people speculate that Rube Goldberg created the machines as a gentle way of poking fun at the Industrial Age, the public loved the absurd contraptions.
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History
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The first public viewing of a Rube Goldberg machine took place in 1914 in the form of a newspaper cartoon. Goldberg created the intricate devices on paper for the San Francisco-based newspaper. The contraption became a huge hit and propelled him into the life of a full-time cartoonist being paid $8 a week, which was good money for the time. For a time, he was the highest paid cartoonist in the United States.
Modern References
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People in the early 1900s marveled at the Rube Goldberg machines, and people still do. You can still see modern references to Rube Goldberg machines in television and movies. For example, "Wallace and Grommet in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and "Back to the Future" both featured interesting examples of Rube Goldberg machines. The Rube Goldberg influence doesn't end outside of the entertainment industry, though. Purdue University has an annual competition where creative minds can gather and show off their own modern-day Rube Goldberg machines.
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