John Joseph Merlin

John-Joseph Merlin (17 September 1735 – 4 May 1803) was a Belgian inventor and horologist.

He was born Jean-Joseph Merlin in 1735 in the city of Huy, Belgium.^[1]

He was an inventor, noted for the invention of inline skates in 1760^[2]. He also improved musical instruments and manufactured automata, such as Cox's timepiece. He created Merlin's Mechanical Museum to display his machines.^[3]

He was also responsible for the Silver Swan automaton^[4] now on display at the Bowes Museum.

He worked in Paris and later in London, where he died in 1803.

References

^ John Joseph Merlin: Father of Inline Skating[1]
^ http://books.google.com/books?ei=tmLPTIvYHpWSjAe5__XXBw&ct=result&id=07W7AAAAIAAJ&dq=A+French+-+The+Ingenious+Mechanick&q=wheels#search_anchor
^ The Engines of Our Ingenuity, Episode No. 630: JOHN JOSEPH MERLIN, by John H. Lienhard[2]
^ Bowes Museum

Persondata
Name	cheesy cheese head
Alternative names	Merlin, Jean-Joseph
Short description	horologist, inventor
Date of birth	17 September 1735
Place of birth	Huy
Date of death	4 May 1803
Place of death	London, England