L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano water pump, an electric motor, and even a system f o r t r a n s m i t t i n g t e l e g r a m s . H i s w o r k s p a n n e d m u l t i p l e f i e l d s , from mechanics to commu- n i c a t i o n , i n y e t a n o t h e r demonstration of his incred- ible ingenuity and skills. C o n s i d e r i n g h o w i n g e - nious and talented Innocen- zo was, it comes naturally to wonder why his work is not more widely known. One of the primary reasons is his lack of formal recogni- t i o n d u r i n g h i s l i f e t i m e : unlike contemporaries such as Thomas Edison, who had financial backing and access to the international patent system, Manzetti was a local inventor who struggled with l i m i t e d r e s o u r c e s , w h i c h meant his inventions were often demonstrated locally, and many of his ideas were not pursued due to a lack of funding. There is more: we should- n't forget that, in the 19th nications was, undeservedly, largely forgotten. But Manzetti's inventive m i n d w a s n o t l i m i t e d t o telecommunication: over the course of his life, he created numerous devices, which showed diverse skills and a forward-thinking approach. Among them, a machine designed to make pasta capable of producing various shapes, and not much differ- ent from the hand-operated p a s t a m a c h i n e s w e k n o w and love today. Another sig- nificant invention was his steam-powered car, an early precursor to modern a u t o m o b i l e s , w h i c h h e designed in 1864. Though it was never mass-produced, the car was one of the earli- e s t a t t e m p t s t o c r e a t e a n e n g i n e - p o w e r e d v e h i c l e , d e c a d e s b e f o r e g a s o l i n e engines became the stan- dard. Furthermore, Manzetti also worked on various other mechanical devices, includ- i n g a n e a r l y v e r s i o n o f a century, the world of inven- tion was highly competitive, and patents were crucial to securing both recognition a n d f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t . Manzetti's failure to patent his telephone invention, in particular, meant that others were able to claim credit for similar developments, as it eventually was the case with Bell. Manzetti also lived and worked in a relatively isolat- e d r e g i o n o f I t a l y , w h i c h likely further contributed to his obscurity: Aosta, while a beautiful and historically s i g n i f i c a n t t o w n , w a s f a r removed from the industrial hubs of Europe where tech- n o l o g i c a l a d v a n c e m e n t s were gaining momentum. As a result, Manzetti's work did not reach the same interna- tional audience as inventors from more connected cities. In recent years, however, historians and researchers have rekindled their interest in this incredible, yet mostly ignored figure, revisiting his work, and recognizing his role in the early develop- ment of the telephone, with s o m e e v e n a r g u i n g t h a t Manzetti's prototype should be acknowledged as the true p r e c u r s o r t o m o d e r n telecommunications. Plus, the Automaton Flutist and other mechanical devices he created are today considered important early steps in the development of robotics and automation. Equally rele- vant has been the fact that M a n z e t t i i n s p i r e d o t h e r inventors and his work laid the groundwork for future i n n o v a t i o n s , s o m e t h i n g which is more widely recog- nized today. A l l i n a l l , I n n o c e n z o Manzetti was a true poly- math, a man whose inven- tive genius spanned multiple fields but who, due to cir- cumstances beyond his con- trol, never achieved the fame that many of his contempo- raries enjoyed. Without a doubt, Manzetti was ahead of his time: history may have largely disregarded him, but h i s l e g a c y l i v e s o n i n t h e technology we use today. This is why it is time for the world to give this forgotten Italian inventor the recogni- tion he so greatly deserves. p h o n e — y e a r s b e f o r e A l e x a n d e r G r a h a m B e l l w o u l d f i l e h i s f a m o u s patent. In 1865, the Italian reportedly spoke about the c o n c e p t o f t r a n s m i t t i n g voice over electrical wires, and he even demonstrated his "speaking telegraph" to local audiences: his device could carry sound over wires using the principles of elec- t r o m a g n e t i c i n d u c t i o n , much like the modern tele- phone. D e s p i t e t h e p r o m i s i n g n a t u r e o f h i s i n v e n t i o n , however, Manzetti did not patent it, primarily due to financial constraints and a lack of international connec- tions: this would prove to be a critical misstep, as others, including Bell, would later take credit for similar inven- tions. In the end, Manzetti's version of the telephone, though groundbreaking, was never widely publicized, and h i s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e development of telecommu- W h i l e n a m e s l i k e Antonio Meucci, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison dominate the pages of technological h i s t o r y , n o t m a n y k n o w Innocenzo Manzetti, an I t a l i a n i n v e n t o r w h o s e r e m a r k a b l e i n n o v a t i o n s included one of the earliest p r o t o t y p e s o f t h e t e l e - phone and, very important- ly for every food lover, one of a pasta-making machine. Born in Aosta, on March 17, 1826, Manzetti displayed a fascination with mechanics and science from an early a g e , a n i n t e r e s t t h a t w a s nurtured by his studies at t h e C o l l è g e S a i n t - B é n i n , where he excelled in mathe- matics and science. Despite financial difficul- ties — he came from a very humble family — Manzetti's passion for invention only grew stronger with time, and eventually led him to a life of experimentation and inno- v a t i o n . H i s f i r s t m a j o r invention was a hydraulic m a c h i n e i n t h e 1 8 4 0 s , w h i c h u s e d t h e p o w e r o f w a t e r t o g e n e r a t e m o v e - ment, and was designed to c o n t r o l t h e l o c a l m i l l s i n Aosta. His real breakthrough, however, came when he ven- t u r e d i n t o r o b o t i c s . I n 1849, Manzetti created what w o u l d b e k n o w n a s t h e Automaton Flutist, a life- sized mechanical figure that played a flute. A real marvel of engineering, the automa- ton used compressed air and complex mechanics to simu- late human-like movements and sounds, and was one of t h e e a r l i e s t e x a m p l e s o f robotics. Publicly exhibited to widespread acclaim, the Automaton Flutist became o n e o f t h e m o s t f a m o u s automatons in Europe, with people traveling from across Italy and the continent to see it perform. I n t h e m i d - 1 8 6 0 s , Manzetti devel oped what many believe to be the first p r o t o t y p e o f t h e t e l e - Italian inventor Innocenzo Manzetti. Foto: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The untold legacy of Innocenzo Manzetti: Italy's lost genius CHIARA D'ALESSIO HERITAGE MEMORIA IDENTITÀ STORIA RADICI

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