The Insane Genius: Karl Hans Janke's Fantastic Inventions
2025-03-04
Karl Hans Janke, a patient at an East German psychiatric hospital, spent his life creating over 4,500 drawings and hundreds of models of technological inventions, mostly fantastical flying machines. He claimed to have invented a fuel-less energy system using the magnetic energy of the universe, his so-called 'German atom,' constantly seeking contact with the scientific community while fearing plagiarism. His archive, rediscovered a decade after his death, reveals a brilliant mind overshadowed by mental illness, leaving a poignant legacy.