The Turk

The Turk was a famous hoax which purported to be a chess-playing automaton first constructed and unveiled in 1769 by Wolfgang von Kempelen (1734-1804). It had the appearance of a maplewood cabinet 4 feet long by 2 feet deep and 3 feet high, with a mannequin dressed in cloak and turban seated behind it. The cabinet had doors that opened to reveal internal clockwork mechanisms, and when activated the mechanism appeared to be able to play a strong game of chess against a human opponent. It could also perform the knight's tour (a puzzle which requires the player to pass every square of a chess board once) with ease. However, the cabinet was a cleverly constructed illusion that allowed a man to hide inside and operate the mannequin.

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Although The Turk wasn't a true autonom, it's 'sucessor' El Ajedristica was.

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Hoax: A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. Generally there is some material object involved, which is actually a forgery. Unlike a fraud or con (which usually has an audience of one or a few), which are made for illicit financial or material gain, or a fra...

Automaton: An automaton (plural: automata) is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot....

1769: 1769 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar)....

The Turk related Images and Photos (experimental)

Cartoon: The Turk's Power in Europe is Shaken by His Balkan Neighbours

A Greek Priest and a Turk Engraved by the Thierry Brothers 1825