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I’d go by ‘mechanical devices’, there were hardly any machines in our understanding back then.

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Well, they did have clocks, even some early portable ones, and “automata” which were a bit like modern animatronics. Power applications like mills, too. I don’t know what word would work best, though.

I’m guessing they’d picture OP running around a giant room filled with clockwork, going at things with a pry bar and wedges. That is a bit like how computers worked in their first decade, albeit electrically rather than mechanically. Later in the 18th century they invented the punchcard loom, so that would be a good point of reference, but we’re all the way back in 1700.

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Worth noting that the 1700s are, in fact, the 18th century. The first century was the years from 1-100, the second century from 101-200, etc.

But, yes. It was invented later in the 18th century than our audience came from.

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Also a good point. It’s dumb that we’ve zero-indexed centuries and then given them one-indexed names, but that is the standard.

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It is a thinking engine. No further questions.

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