Biographies [F.C. Williams; J. Vaucanson; J.M. Jacquard]

This biographical piece examines the life and work of the inventive researcher, memory maker, and electrical engineer par excellence, Frederic C. Williams and Jacques Vaucanson, who made a significant contribution to the development of the textile industry in the 18th century. Recent research by a local Lyons historian has unearthed Jacquard's true identity as Joseph Marie Charles, together with a welter of new information about this mysterious but influential figure who developed punched-card looms.