1912 – Seleno, the Electric Dog – Hammond / Miessner -Addendum

In my earlier post on the "Electric Dog" by Miessner and Hammond (here), I commented on some uncertainty regarding Miessner's and Hammond's relationship together, and as to whether or not there may have been another dog built. This was as a result of how the newspaper and magazine articles were reporting on the "electric dog". …

1868-1904 – Fictional Steam Man, Steam Horse, Electric Man & Electric Horse (American)

Edward S. Ellis' first of the dime or penny magazine fictional stories that featured the "Steam Man" had a publish date of August 1868, some 7 months AFTER the first known announcement of Dederick's actual "Steam Man" in January 1868. Note: There are those who have either mistaken or mis-represented the Ellis story date for 1865, to conveniently …

1954 – “Gismo the Peaceful” – Sherwood Fuehrer (American)

March 23, 1954 ROBOT DEMONSTRATED: In Cranston, R.I., yesterday—Sherwood Fuehrer, 13, operated the controls of a robot he built from cans, gears, motors, die castings and other articles too numerous to mention. The robot —5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 92 pounds—can hold a plate of cookies and pass them to guests. [Below] The …

1954 – “Magnamo” – Bill Allen (American)

Tin Can With An Idea – An imaginative Kansas teacher ( Bill Allen, Hamilton School in Wichita, Kan.) builds a robot to stir his students' interest in classroom science. Disappointed with his first-year performance as a general science teacher at Hamilton School in Wichita, Kan., Bill Allen figured that what he most needed was something …

1953-68 – “Mr. Magnetron” – (British)

Mr. Magnetron – At the National Radio Show held at Earls Court, London, England, Signalman Mellor, of Manchester, introduces a young man to the robot Mr. Magnetron.  © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS   Date Photographed: September 1, 1953 Mr Magnetron 24th March 1954: Lieutenant Corporal Pauline Bevan and Private Smith of the WRAC look at Mr Magnetron …