Travel News

Slideshow: Travel through History with 5 Magical Objects

Locations in this article:  Los Angeles, CA Paris, France

5. The Turk

The Turk is a magical “thinking machine” built in the 18th century that could play chess against a human being…and win. After baffling notable figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon and Edgar Allan Poe, the Turk eventually burned in a fire. But one small piece remained, and an American magician found it. This piece was like the Rosetta Stone, and allowed him to reverse engineer how the Turk must have worked. Steve traveled to modern-day Los Angeles to locate the newly reconstructed Turk, and challenge him to play against a grandmaster — man versus machine. You’ll have to tune into Lost Magic: Decoded to see who wins.

For more magical travels, check out Peter’s interview with the Millionaires’ Magician Steve Cohen. And our Pop Culture & Travel archives.

By Steven Cohen, told to Lily J. Kosner for Peter Greenberg.com