The Miraculous Machine
Derek W. Lawrence portrays 1769 as a fateful year for the world: Napoleon and Wellington were both born in it; and James Watt took out a patent for his momentous steam-engine.
In 1936, Hollywood produced a brilliant film comedy entitled Modern Times—and it was modern. It starred that inimitable clown Charles Chaplin in a revolutionary concept that is still modern and topical, perhaps even more so now than when it was made. For its theme the film used what would be considered now as automation, or what this most modern form of factory-production meant from the point of view of the ordinary factory-operator.
The operator in question of course being Chaplin, who was shown reduced to the condition of an automaton by a relentless conveyor belt and various other pieces of sinister machinery. But when Chaplin was fooling on his assembly line, the term automation was not in existence.
Automation is a comparatively new expression, coined to describe the industrial practices where human labour and, more significantly, the human control of manufacturing processes are replaced by the use of automatic machines—machines that think as well as do.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
