Rube Goldberg was a famous American cartoonist, sculptor and author known for his zany inventions called Rube Goldberg machines. He was born in 1883 in San Francisco and lived in New York City, where he drew cartoons for over 40 years. Goldberg had a wife, two sons, and several grandchildren. He is renowned for creating over 10 brilliantly complicated devices that performed simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways.