Who was Rube Goldberg and what exactly are his famous machines?

Have you ever seen a Rube Goldberg machine? These fantastic and intricate devices are designed to perform a simple task in an absurdly complex way.

For instance, curious about how to get rid of a mouse? It's easy — there's a Rube Goldberg machine for that! The mouse trap lures the mouse with a picture of cheese, causing it to step onto a hot stove, jump onto an escalator, fall onto a boxing glove, and get launched into a rocket that sends it all the way to the moon. What could be simpler?

What Exactly Is a Rube Goldberg Machine?

The mouse trap was just one of the many inventive chain reaction devices created by Reuben Goldberg, a "rock star" American cartoonist from the early 1900s, according to Renny Pritikin, former chief curator at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Goldberg's wacky inventions were featured in thousands of newspaper cartoons across the United States.

His name became the emblem of absurdly entertaining chain reaction contraptions that turn simple tasks into complex undertakings. In 1931, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary added "Rube Goldberg" as an entry, making him the only person whose name is used as an adjective in the dictionary, according to Smithsonian.com.

Who Was Rube Goldberg?

Born in San Francisco in 1883, Rube Goldberg initially pursued engineering. He graduated from the College of Mining Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley in 1904.

After six months of working on water and sewer line mapping, Goldberg couldn't take it any longer. He switched to a less lucrative role as a cartoonist at the San Francisco Chronicle.

"His primary concern was whether his work made you laugh," shared his granddaughter Jennifer George in 2018. Her 2013 book, "The Art of Rube Goldberg," delves into his vast body of work, including cartoons, writings, and sculptures, all created before his death in 1970.

In 1907, Goldberg left California for New York, where he began working for the New York Evening Mail. One of his early cartoons for the publication depicted a man severely injured after falling from a 50-story building, with a woman asking, 'Are you hurt?' The man responded, 'No, I am taking my beauty sleep.'

The series was an immediate success, leading Goldberg to create 449 more cartoons in the Foolish Questions series over the next two years. Readers eagerly sent in their own suggestions.

Goldberg also introduced a series titled "I'm the Guy," featuring humorous lines like, "I'm the guy who put the hobo in Hoboken" and "I'm the guy who put the sand in the sandwich," which sparked a nationwide craze.

One of his iconic characters, Boob McNutt, was known for his hilarious mishaps as he tried to assist others, always managing to make things worse.

Goldberg's famous invention drawings began in 1912 and played a major role in establishing his reputation, as highlighted by an exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

The first of his intricate inventions, titled "The Simple Mosquito Exterminator," followed the journey of a mosquito entering a window, triggering a series of absurd events leading to its demise. The mosquito walks along a board with pieces of steak, gets knocked out by chloroform fumes, then awakens to the reflection of a bald head through a telescope, only to jump in terror off a spring-board, killing itself when it crashes into a mirror and falls dead into a can.

For two decades, Goldberg produced a new Rube Goldberg machine every two weeks, maintaining a less frequent schedule until 1964.

He created the character Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, a genius who devised complicated machines for simple tasks such as opening screen doors, shining shoes, and retrieving soap from the bathtub. As noted in "The Art of Rube Goldberg," this character was inspired by two professors Goldberg found particularly uninspiring during his time at the College of Mining Engineering: Samuel B. Christy, who gave long-winded lectures on time-and-motion efficiency, and Frederick Slate, who once demonstrated the "barodik," a convoluted device designed to measure the weight of Earth.

Goldberg's invention cartoons humorously critiqued "the elaborate world of machinery," as Adam Gopnik highlighted in his introduction, by satirizing the "broader notion of efficiency." Gopnik also praised Goldberg for his "poetic intuition," a quality shared by all great cartoonists.

How Have Rube Goldberg Machines Shaped Modern Society?

He was one of the first to critically examine the purpose behind the advancement of technology. His work raised doubts about the advantages of so-called labor-saving innovations. Instead of simplifying life, these devices often make things more complex, according to Pritikin. A Rube Goldberg machine served as a satirical commentary on how technology can complicate rather than simplify. In today's world, Pritikin argues, this theme remains relevant, as we continue to rush toward new technological developments without considering whether they truly benefit society: 'Are we asking the right question—Is this good for us or not?'

In 1938, Goldberg began creating political cartoons, marking the start of his commentary on the growing rise of fascism. These cartoons attracted significant criticism, with threats made against him and his family, Pritikin shared.

One of his renowned political cartoons depicted a scene set in a Middle Eastern desert. Two individuals walk along two separate, parallel paths that never intersect. One figure is labeled 'Arab,' while the other is labeled 'Jew.'

A 1947 cartoon depicted a small house precariously perched atop a massive nuclear missile, teetering on the edge of a cliff. The title of this striking image was 'Peace Today.' This artwork earned Goldberg a Pulitzer Prize.

"He made a profound cultural impact during his time," said Pritikin. "Cartoonists were highly admired figures. They were viewed as true cultural icons."