Pedometer (Start)

Leonardo da Vinci envisioned a mechanical pedometer as a device with military applications. In 1780 Abraham-Louis Perrelet of Switzerland created the first pedometer, measuring the steps and distance while walking; it was based on a 1770 mechanism of his to power a self-winding watch. A mechanical pedometer obtained from France was introduced in the US by Thomas Jefferson. It is not known if he modified the design; although this pedometer is widely attributed to Jefferson, proof is difficult to obtain as he did not apply for patents on any of his inventions.