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.

Take a look at these example Rube Goldberg cartoons and then draw and label a simple kinetic sculpture commemorating the causes of the Great Depression.

The parts of a kinetic sculpture are constantly moving. For example, a ball might hit a lever that sets off a pulley. The pulley might, in turn, pull a bucket that dumps water on a paddle wheel. The paddle wheel creates another movement. Different actions can take place independently of one another as well. But all the actions together have a combined result.

At least one part on your sculpture must represent each Key Content Term from Chapter 30. These terms may appear on your machine in any order.  You can submit your drawing on TCI, or draw it on paper, snap a photo, and email it with subject line 'Rube Goldberg.'