Angela Ruiz Robles, Inventor - By Nancy J. Farrier

 

Angela Drawing by Eulogia Merle
Wikimedian Commons

Some say the birth of the ebook came in 1971 when Michael Hart created an electronic document of the Declaration of Independence. But, was this the beginning of the ebook? Some say yes. Others believe Angela Ruiz Robles invention was the beginning of this monumental breakthrough—bringing multiple books into one small package.

 

Angela Was born in Villamanin, Spain in 1895. Her father was a pharmacist, her mother a housewife. Angela began her career as a teacher, graduating from a teacher training college in León. From there she went on to teach several subjects including shorthand, typing, and business. 

 

She accepted a teaching position in 1918 in Santa Eugenia de Mandía and stayed there for the next ten years. It was there she discovered the true heart of her calling. She saw the students as individuals, each unique in their own right, and met each students needs. Her students loved her and said, “Doña Angelita...never treated any student differently and always honoured each individual learner’s needs.”

 

Angela surrounded by her students.

At the age of 40, after the death of her husband, Angela founded the Elmaca Academy, named after her three daughters, Elena, Maria Elvira, and Carmen. Elmaca Academy provided specific classes for students training in fields such as telegraph operators or business management studies. The academy had the highest passing rate in the country.

 

During her career, Angela raised her three daughters, taught students, ran the academy, and still had time for writing and inventing. From 1938 to 1946, she wrote and edited some 16 books. Three of them were published, Compendium of Castilian Orthography, Castilian Orthography (abbreviated), and Modern Abbreviated Martinian Shorthand. 

 

She was always thinking of ways to improve her students learning capacity and make learning easier and more appealing. One of the things Angela noticed was the books her students had to carry from class to class. She experimented with ideas, wanting to make, “...teaching easier, to get maximum knowledge with minimum effort.”

 

Mechanical Encyclopedia       

Her dream, what she called the “Mechanical Encyclopaedia” addressed the needs of her students. Her idea was a device that would store vast amounts of information, available at the fingertips. The information would include graphics, sound, and textual forms. She planned to add lighting and magnification to the device.

 

Angela traveled to Madrid certain she would be able to find promoters who would help bring her dream to fruition. Instead, she received pats on the back, but no serious takers. Many believe this is due to her being a woman and not taken seriously. Despite this, in 1962 she was able to scrape the funds together to have a prototype made. 

 

Mechanical Encyclopedia inside

After retiring from teaching, Angela spent all her time promoting her Mechanical Encyclopedia. She traveled to exhibitions where she was often the only woman inventor. She gave interviews and talked to potential investors. In 1970, she rejected a proposal to license her invention in the US. She wanted her invention to be developed in Spain and to benefit her people.

 

Angela’s invention was ahead of her time. She didn’t have access to computers or other media. Instead, she used audio and image reels along with electrical circuits when user’s accessed hypertext links. If her invention had been funded would it have become the first ebook? I don’t know. But, I do know she had an amazing invention that should have been produced.

 

I found Angela’s story so heart-warming. She loved her students and spent her life trying to make learning easier for them. Have you ever heard of Angela’s Mechanical Encyclopedia? It is on display in the National Museum of Science and Technology in A Coruna, Spain. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.