Jacob's Ladder is a folk toy made of wooden blocks held together by ribbons or strings. Tipping the end block sets off a visual illusion in which the blocks appear to tumble down in sequence: an interlaced ribbon mechanism lets each block act as though hinged to its neighbors, so the blocks actually flip in place and return to their starting positions rather than truly falling. The toy's real origin is unknown; claims of a Chinese origin, a find in Tutankhamun's tomb, and Puritan-era American use are all unproven, and the earliest documented description of the toy appears in an 1889 article in Scientific American. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Unknown; earliest documented account is an 1889 Scientific American article. Independently, the Japanese polymath Hiraga Gennai (1728-1780) built a version later called Gennai's Wondrous Click-clack. 1 OriginOf unknown origin. Variously claimed to originate in China, in Tutankhamun's tomb, or among the few toys Puritans allowed on colonial-America Sundays, none of which the source confirms. The earliest known published account is an 1889 Scientific American article describing its construction. The Japanese polymath Hiraga Gennai (1728-1780) independently built a version, later called Gennai's Wondrous Click-clack. 1 Sources
1. Jacob's ladder (toy) (Wikipedia)
Origin sectionQuote, Origin section
Of unknown origin, the earliest known review of the Jacob's Ladder is an 1889 Scientific American article which tells how it is built and works
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