#5: The First American Robot
This photograph is extremely unsettling the longer you look at it. However, it’s a historically significant image because it shows the first American-made robot. This unsettling invention has been dubbed “The Steam Man.” It was invented by Zadoc P. Dederick in 1868 and used steam power to operate. Mr. Steam Man is considered by many to be the first American-made robot.

While The Seam Man isn’t a robot by modern standards, it was groundbreaking at the time. This steam-powered invention operated through a series of levers and cranks to pull a cart. Dederick patented his invention, but it never took off as a widespread product. Maybe it was the fact that the human-like design was a bit unsettling. Oh well.