Useless But Compelling Facts – September 2009 Answer

Last month we mentioned that although the first use of the term “robot” emanates from the play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), first published in 1921 by Czech playwright Karel Čapek, the term was actually suggested to him (or so the history relates) by someone else – and we asked you to tell us who.  Well congratulations to Kevin Kim, Information Privacy Officer at Alberta Education in Edmonton, who correctly told us it was Karel’s brother, Josef Čapek, who suggested the term. The word entered the English language in 1923 when Karel’s play was translated into English. Thanks Kevin!