Clever Hans
Clever Hans (German: der Kluge Hans; c. 1894 – c. 1916) was a horse that appeared to perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks during exhibitions in Germany in the early 20th century.
Hans was a horse owned by Wilhelm von Osten, a mathematics teacher, amateur horse trainer and phrenologist who was considered to be a mystic.
Hans was said to have been taught to add, subtract, multiply, divide, work with fractions, tell the time, keep track of the calendar, differentiate between musical tones, and even spell and understand German.
Von Osten would ask Hans a question like: “If the eighth day of the month falls on Tuesday, what is the date of the following Friday?” Hans would tap his hoof eleven times.
His abilities were widely reported, including in The New York Times in 1904. After Von Osten’s death, Hans passed through new owners and was ultimately drafted into World War I.
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