Wolfgang von Kempelen
Austrian dramatic, graphic, constructer, linguist, painter, writer, inventor and nobleman
- Lived
- 1734–1804
- Country
- Habsburg monarchy
Updated September 2026
About Wolfgang von Kempelen
Johann Wolfgang von Kempelen was a writer, engineer, and inventor, known for his chess-playing "automaton" hoax The Turk and for his speaking machine.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.