Stephan Farffler
Stephan Farffler (1633 – October 24, 1689), sometimes spelled Stephan Farfler, was a German watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled wheelchair. The three-wheeled device is also believed to have been a precursor to the modern-day tricycle and bicycle.
Stephan Farffler | |
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Born | November 12, 1633 |
Died | October 24, 1689 (aged 56) |
Nationality | German |
Occupation(s) | Watchmaker, inventor |
Farffler, who was either a paraplegic or an amputee, also created a device for turning an hourglass at regular intervals and added chimes to the clocktower of Altdorf bei Nürnberg.
the German WiKi says: either paraplegic as a result of an accident when aged three years; others describe him as a human with crippled legs („verkrüppelten“ - which could also mean disfigured or malformed and this might, for onlookers, be an accurate description when, as said, the accident happened at a very young age which would likely impair normal growth of the affected limbs)