Make: Volume 78

PROJECTS Remaking History

vacuum in a space, who could say otherwise?

In an earlier column of Remaking History,

we explored the Magdeburg hemispheres, a

famous vacuum-related demonstration built

by the German experimenter Otto von Guericke

(see page 83). Von Guericke is given credit for

inventing the very first vacuum pump, but his

pump was inefficient and nearly impossible to use

for any real scientific purpose.

In order to carry out the important experiments

that Boyle wanted to attempt, a better, faster,

and more dependable pump had to be invented.

Boyle had built for him a series of three different

pumps, each one able to generate deeper ...