Michael Patrono

Michael (Michele) Patrono was an Italian-born mechanic who was reported to have invented a perpetual motion machine that exploits gravity to generate energy. The Universal Industrial Society (a.k.a. Societa Industrial Universale) was incorporated in 1895 at Newark, New Jersey for the ostensible purpose of financing development and manufacturing the machine, though this seems to have quickly fallen apart following a confrontation between Patrono and the shareholders after only existing for a few months.