Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg

(1883-1970)

Rube Goldberg adj. \ˈrüb-ˈgōl(d)-ˌbərg\  : accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply <a kind of Rube Goldberg contraption … with five hundred moving parts — L. T. Grant>; also : characterized by such complex means.

I can’t think of any other words besides the one defined above that use both the first and last name of a person as an adjective.  Sure, Darwin, de Sade, and Bowdler gave us Darwinism, Sadistic, and Bowdlerize respectively but they didn’t get their first name in the word (not to mention those pesky suffixes.)  But if someone asks “What kind of a Rube Goldberg contraption is THAT?,” you know exactly what they are saying about that contraption.

Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist who was best known for his humorous drawings of complicated inventions for doing simple tasks.  He was born in San Francisco, California where is father was police and fire commissioner.  He graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 1904 with a engineering degree.  After only six months working for the City of San Francisco Department of Water and Sewers, he quit and got a job as a sports cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle.  In 1907, he moved to New York City and was soon cartooning for several newspapers.  From 1907, through the aughts, and the 20's, Rube Goldberg was an incredibly prolific cartoonist creating 60 cartoon series including I'm the Guy (who put the con in conventions),  Foolish Questions ("Is that a folding bed?", "No, this is a new box for my harmonica"), Mike and Ike (They Look Alike), and Lala Palooza. But his enduring fame is due to Inventions of Professor Butts.  Here are some typical examples:

Flame from lamp (A) catches on curtain (B) and Fire Department sends stream of water (C) through window - Dwarf (D) thinks it is raining and reaches for umbrella (E), pulling string (F) and lifting end of platform (G) - Iron ball (H) falls and pulls string (I) causing hammer (J) to hit plate of glass (K) - crash of glass wakes up pup (L) and mother dog (M) rocks him to sleep in cradle (N), causing attached wooden hand (O) to move up and down along your back.

As you raise spoon of soup (A) to your mouth it pulls string (B), thereby jerking ladle (C) which throws cracker (D) past parrot (E). Parrot jumps after cracker and perch (F) tilts, upsetting seeds (I) which opens and lights automatic cigar lighter (J), setting off sky-rocket (K) which causes sickle (L) to cut string (M) and allow pendulum with attached napkin to swing back and forth thereby wiping off your chin.

In addition to cartooning, Rube Goldberg had many other careers.  He was a writer, publishing a long list of short stories.  He wrote the screenplay for the Three Stooges' screen debut Soup to Nuts. He wrote many songs and appeared on the vaudeville circuit with his song "I'm the Guy."  In later years, his editorial cartoons were highly praised with one winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1947. In his last decade, Goldberg even took up sculpture.

While much of Goldberg's huge body of work has been forgotten, the spirit of his crazy inventions lives on.  The 2010 music video "This Too Shall Pass - RGM Version" by the rock band OK Go features a spectacular Rube Goldberg machine that runs for four minutes before shooting paint at the band.

Question of the Day: What was the name of the editorial cartoon for which Rube Goldberg won the Pulitzer Prize? 




Marzio, Peter. Rube Goldberg, His Life and Work, Harper & Row, New York, New York, 1973.