Hotty from History #15 - John Joseph Merlin (17 September 1735 – 4 May 1803) was born Jean-Joseph Merlin in 1735 in Huy, Belgium. In his teens he worked in Paris making mathematical machines and clocks, and was soon brought to London by the Spanish Ambassador to England, who introduced him to Gainsborough (who painted the above portrait), Samuel Johnson and several 18th century Prime Ministers. Merlin was considered a genius of the age, creating some of the earliest robots, wheelchairs and is credited as inventing rollerskates, all before the ripe old age of 25. Merlin created a perpetual motion machine that ran off atmospheric pressure (It didn’t work of course, but it got pretty darn close) and vastly improved the mechanics of the harpsichord and pianoforte. His mechanical robots inspired the child Charles Babbage to create an early computer in the 1830s, and without that technology it’s doubtful I’d be typing this today. Oh and he was an expert Violinist. And absolutely gorgeous. Need I say any more? Soph.

Hotty from History #15 - John Joseph Merlin

(17 September 1735 – 4 May 1803) was born Jean-Joseph Merlin in 1735 in Huy, Belgium. In his teens he worked in Paris making mathematical machines and clocks, and was soon brought to London by the Spanish Ambassador to England, who introduced him to Gainsborough (who painted the above portrait), Samuel Johnson and several 18th century Prime Ministers. Merlin was considered a genius of the age, creating some of the earliest robots, wheelchairs and is credited as inventing rollerskates, all before the ripe old age of 25.

Merlin created a perpetual motion machine that ran off atmospheric pressure (It didn’t work of course, but it got pretty darn close) and vastly improved the mechanics of the harpsichord and pianoforte. His mechanical robots inspired the child Charles Babbage to create an early computer in the 1830s, and without that technology it’s doubtful I’d be typing this today.

Oh and he was an expert Violinist. And absolutely gorgeous. Need I say any more?

Soph.

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