Athanasius Kircher: A "one-man intellectual clearing house"

I found out about this fellow recently and I'm loving his bizzare art and outlook on life. He is Athanasius Kircher, a 17th centrury eclectician that the Encyclopædia Britannica calls a "one-man intellectual clearing house". Robert Irwin describes Kircher "one of the last scholars aspiring to know everything."

Here are links to a few of his drawings. Enjoy.

Kircher's "Why the tower of babel could not have reached the moon"

Kircher's 17th century speaker system, called "The earliest known attempt to amplify a sound wave:"

A diagram titled "Ears"

Kircher's model of the solar system

A model of the Earth's "Internal fires"

Diagram of the "Names of God"

I don't know what this is supposed to be, but he drew it and its really cool


Or just run a google image search on the guy. Hours of endless amusement.




[edit on 5/3/09 by silent thunder]