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Meet the inventor of the Spirograph (video) [1]

['David Pescovitz']

Date: 2023-07-10

In 1960, Denys Fisher (1918-2002), a mostly self-taught engineer in the UK, was developing machines to draw patterns. While prototyping with Meccano—a model construction kit similar to Erector in the US—Fisher noted something in the design of a British pound note. "He thought its intricate patterns were made by a simple gearing mechanism," according to a BBC TV report below. "There and then, he decided to make a pattern drawing toy based on that principle."

While gear-based drawing toys had been available since the early 20th century, Fisher's device has the magic that made it a huge hit. Here's the story of the Spirograph:

(via The Kid Should See This)

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2023/07/10/meet-the-inventor-of-the-spirograph-video.html

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