Von Kempelen and His Discovery

By: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrated by: Sal Stevens

Edgar Allen Poe, the hugely well-known American short story writer and poet, is considered a literary pioneer for many reasons, but the surprising and humourous story behind his short "story" "Von Kempelen and His Discovery" is often overlooked. Predating Orson Welles’ radio hoax by nearly a hundred years, "Von Kempelen and His Discovery" was a mock scientific article first published in 1849 in the journal The Flag of Our Union and reported a German chemist had discovered an alchemical process that could turn lead into gold. The article was presented as actual news and at the time was not credited to Poe. The article would have been all the more effective at the time, the peak of the California Gold Rush.

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