First public reference to robots

According to Official Guinness Records,

The word "robot" was introduced into the language by novelist and playwright Karel Čapek (Austria-Hungary, now Czech Republic, 1890-1938) in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which premiered in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) in 1921. The play features "artificial people" built in a factory and designed to enjoy laborious work, and explores the issue of whether or not these robots have rights. By the end of the play, the robots have developed human characteristics and revolt to become the dominant life on the planet. The word, suggested to Èapek by his brother Josef, derives from the Czech word "robota", meaning slave labour.

For a complete list of 1921 records, please visit 1921 Guinness Records in Czech Republic.

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