Rube Goldberg was an American cartoonist, inventor, engineer, sculptor, humorist, and author. In hid 72 year career, he drew around 50000 cartoons. He also worked in other mediums. For example, he hosted radio shows, wrote poems, stories, screenplays, created animated cartoons, and also a wide variety of other things. Goldberg's inventions were achieved by complex and humorous means.