John Joseph Merlin
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John-Joseph Merlin (17 September 1735 – 4 May 1803) was a Belgian inventor and horologist.
He was born Jean-Joseph Merlin in 1735 in the city of Huy, Belgium.[1]
He was an inventor, noted for the invention of inline skates in 1760[2]. He also improved musical instruments and manufactured automata, such as Cox's timepiece. He created Merlin's Mechanical Museum to display his machines.[3]
He was also responsible for the Silver Swan automaton[4] now on display at the Bowes Museum.
He worked in Paris and later in London, where he died in 1803.
[edit] References
- ^ John Joseph Merlin: Father of Inline Skating[1]
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?ei=tmLPTIvYHpWSjAe5__XXBw&ct=result&id=07W7AAAAIAAJ&dq=A+French+-+The+Ingenious+Mechanick&q=wheels#search_anchor
- ^ The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Episode No. 630: JOHN JOSEPH MERLIN, by John H. Lienhard[2]
- ^ Bowes Museum
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