Napoleon lost at chess to a 'robot' with a man inside.

1770 · 1809 · apart: 39 years

For 84 years the Mechanical Turk passed as an automaton, while strong players took turns hiding in the cabinet; Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin both played it.

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The event

• The Mechanical Turk1770 · Vienna. In 1770 Wolfgang von Kempelen showed Empress Maria Theresa a chess-playing automaton dressed as a Turk. For 84 years it toured Europe and America, beating opponents including Napoleon and Benjamin Franklin. The secret was a strong chess player hidden inside the cabinet.

18th century · 19th century

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