Born Jean-Baptiste Sosime Schwilgue in December 1776, Jean-Baptiste Schwilgue was the original architect of the third (3rd) astronomical clock situated in Strasbourg Cathedral.
As a boy, Jean-Baptiste showed great interest in mechanics, and with the help of the simplest tools available to him, he produced various machines and instruments, by which he made special conceivable improvements.
In 1844 Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué alongside his son, Charles-Antoine, patented a key-driven adding machine in 1844, remarkably regarded as one of the earliest key-driven machines in the world.