Who was Rube Goldberg?
RUBE GOLDBERG (1883-1970) was a cartoonist, an inventor, and the only person ever to be listed in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as an adjective. Of the nearly 50,000 cartoons he drew in his lifetime, Rube is best known for the zany contraptions of Professor Butts. These inventions, also known as Rube Goldberg Machines, solved a simple task in the most overcomplicated, inefficient, and hilarious way possible.
Rube Goldberg lives on in pop culture and is referenced daily in both print and digital media. His name is searchable, hash-taggable, and at best viral. But nowhere is his legacy more celebrated than through the competitions that bear his name.
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) was a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist best known for his
zany invention cartoons. He was born in San Francisco on the 4th of July, 1883 – and graduated
from U. Cal Berkeley with a degree in engineering. His first job at the San Francisco Chronicle
led to early success, but it wasn’t until he moved to NYC and began working for Hearst
publications that he became a household name. Rube Goldberg is the only person ever to be
listed in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as an adjective. It’s estimated that he did a staggering
50,000 cartoons in his lifetime. For videos about Rube: https://www.rubegoldberg.com/about/.
A Rube Goldberg Machine is “a comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously
contrived to preform a simple operation” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). Humor and a
narrative are what separate a Rube Goldberg machine from a chain-reaction machine. Each of
Rube’s cartoon’s told a story and his entire goal was to get you to laugh.
Rube Goldberg, Inc. is dedicated to keeping laughter and invention alive through the
legacy of its namesake. Annual competitions, image licensing, merchandising, and museum and
entertainment opportunities continue to grow and enhance the brand. At the helm is Rube’s
granddaughter, Jennifer George, with her recent book, The Art of Rube Goldberg.
https://media.rubegoldberg.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Rube-Goldberg-Lesson-Plans.pdf
WHAT IS THE TASK IN THESE IMAGES?
WHAT ARE THE STEPS INVOLVED? CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN EACH STEP?
