In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton from over 250 years ago that stunned and mystified with its chess-playing skill and fiercely-guarded secrets.

Download Episode

(Right click and select “Save as…”)

Images: Racknitz, Joseph. The Turk. Engraving. 1789. Via Wikimedia.