Learning about a Priest . . . who Created a Cat Piano

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JohnGlassie-0219.mp3

February 19, 2013

Historians are rediscovering the work of quirky 17th century Jesuit Priest Athanasius Kircher.  He worked in areas including magnetism, medicine, and music--and even came up with the idea of a cat piano.

Maryland native John Glassie has the full story of Kircher in his new book A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change.  Here, he talks with Tom Hall about researching the book--which included finding an old autobiography in Rome.