How did John Muir's early-rising machine work?

Answer 1

John Muir said, "The power of imagination makes us infinite." His imagination led him to accomplishments that have kept his name and memory alive even today, nearly 100 years after his death.

His "early-rising machine" was a clock that told the time of day, day of the week, and date of the month; it struck the hours. He would set the clock to the time he wanted to get up (often as early as 1am, so he could get a head-start on exploring nature). The clock, which was attached to the leg of his bed, would loosen a large stone that, in turn, kicked out the leg of the bed. Young John was then dumped on the floor.

Years later, as a student at the University of Wisconsin, Muir invented a nine-foot-high clock that lit his lamp and his fire and opened a book for him. After a half-hour, it would replace that book with another. The legs of the clock were in the shape of books and compasses. It is housed in the museum of the State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.