Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Von Kempelen and His Discovery
- Narrated by: Sal Stevens
- Length: 18 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Von Kempelen and His Discovery
Buy Now for £3.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
Edgar Allen Poe, the hugely well-known American short story writer and poet, is considered a literary pioneer for many reasons, but the surprising and humourous story behind his short "story" "Von Kempelen and His Discovery" is often overlooked. Predating Orson Welles’ radio hoax by nearly a hundred years, "Von Kempelen and His Discovery" was a mock scientific article first published in 1849 in the journal The Flag of Our Union and reported a German chemist had discovered an alchemical process that could turn lead into gold. The article was presented as actual news and at the time was not credited to Poe. The article would have been all the more effective at the time, the peak of the California Gold Rush.
Listeners also enjoyed...
