Stephan Farffler
German inventor
About Stephan Farffler
Lived 1633 – 1689 (aged 55). Stephan Farffler was a German video tape recorder, watchmaker, artisan, design engineer and inventor.
Stephan Farffler (1633 – October 24, 1689 ), sometimes spelled Stephan Farfler, was a German watchmaker of the seventeenth century whose invention of a manumotive carriage in 1655 is widely considered to have been the first self-propelled wheelchair. The three-wheeled device is also believed to have been a precursor to the modern-day tricycle and bicycle.
Farffler, who was either a paraplegic or an amputee, also created a device for turning an hourglass at regular intervals and added chimes to the clocktower of Altdorf bei Nürnberg.
According to the German astronomer Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr, Farffler suffered an accident at the age of three that paralyzed him from the hips down. Others described him as having "crippled" legs.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Stephan Farffler's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Stephan Farffler?
German inventor
When was Stephan Farffler born?
Stephan Farffler was born on 12 November 1633 in Altdorf bei Nürnberg.
When did Stephan Farffler die?
Stephan Farffler died on 24 October 1689 in Nuremberg.
What was Stephan Farffler's occupation?
Stephan Farffler was a video tape recorder, watchmaker, artisan, design engineer and inventor.
What nationality was Stephan Farffler?
Stephan Farffler was German.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Stephan Farffler. https://biography.guide/stephan-farffler/
MLA: "Stephan Farffler." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/stephan-farffler/.
Chicago: "Stephan Farffler." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/stephan-farffler/.
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