When we reach for an e-reader today, we rarely think about its origins. Yet, the concept of a device to replace heavy textbooks was not born in Silicon Valley, but in a small Galician school, in the mind of a teacher observing children hunched under the weight of their satchels. Ángela Ruiz Robles was decades ahead of her time.
From Pharmacist’s Daughter to Education Visionary
Born in 1895 in Villamanín, in the province of León, Ángela grew up in a well-off family—her father was a pharmacist and her mother managed the household. Her professional path began in a way typical for her era: teaching studies, then work as a shorthand and accounting instructor from 1915-1916.
However, just a year later, something extraordinary happened—the city council unanimously entrusted her with the position of director at the school in La Pola de Gordón.
This distinction, at a time when women were only beginning to fight for senior positions, testified to Robles’s exceptional talent. In Galicia, where she moved in 1918 with her husband, a merchant navy officer, and their three daughters, she spent the rest of her working life. She managed several institutions, including an orphanage for girls in Ferrol, and wrote sixteen educational books. But her true legacy lies elsewhere.
A Machine Meant to Lighten Schoolbags
The problem was both prosaic and universal: children were carrying backpacks that were far too heavy. Robles decided to solve it in a way that today we’d consider almost futuristic.
Her Mechanical Encyclopedia, patented in 1949, combined all textbooks, illustrations, and even audio materials into a single device. When opened, it revealed two sections—the left side contained automatic alphabets in various languages, activated by pressing a button, while the right side featured educational content visible through a transparent film with a magnification function.
The whole device operated on spools—much like film reels—which could be rewound, stopped, and swapped depending on the student’s needs. Built-in lighting allowed for study after dark. Thirteen years later, the inventor improved the design, replacing the buttons with rotary drums. The prototype was made in the workshops of the Artillery Park in Ferrol, using bronze, wood, and zinc.
Half a Century Ahead of Her Time
It’s worth comparing the dates: Robles’s first patent was from 1949, Michael Hart’s Project Gutenberg (considered the start of digital books) began in 1971, and the Kindle only reached the market in 2007. The Spanish teacher was generations ahead of the digital revolution, working solely with mechanical solutions available in post-war Europe.
Her device was never mass-produced—there were no investors willing to take a risk on such an innovative idea. However, the prototype has survived to this day and can be viewed at the National Museum of Science and Technology in A Coruña. It stands as proof that true innovation is born not from access to advanced technology, but from a careful observation of everyday problems and the courage to approach them with unconventional solutions.
Doña Angelita died in 1975 in Ferrol, never seeing commercial success for her invention. Today, her mechanical encyclopedia is a reminder that technological revolutions often begin with a question from someone who simply wants to help.
Marcus Renfell
Marcus Renfell is a historian driven by curiosity and passion. He refuses to accept the “safe,” polished versions of the past. Instead, he brings forgotten, overlooked, and distorted stories back to life. His work blends scholarly precision with the art of storytelling, turning historical narratives into vivid, page-turning experiences.
His mission is simple: to prove that history can be gripping, alive, and deeply personal.
His debut book: Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Told
In his first publication, Marcus Renfell shines a light on the remarkable women who shaped the world of science — both the pioneers whose names we know and the brilliant minds history forgot. It’s an inspiring journey through untold stories, groundbreaking achievements, and the resilience of women who changed our understanding of the world.
? Discover Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Toldon Amazon.com.