Alejandro Finisterre
Portrait of Finisterre by Eulogia Merle
Born
Alexandre Campos Ramírez

(1919-05-06)6 May 1919
Fisterra, Galicia, Spain
Died9 February 2007(2007-02-09) (aged 87)
Zamora, Castile and León, Spain
Other namesAlexandre de Fisterra
Known forInventor of the futbolín, a Spanish variant of table football

Alejandro Finisterre or Alexandre de Fisterra (born Alexandre Campos Ramírez; 6 May 1919 – 9 February 2007) is known as the inventor of futbolín, a Spanish variant of table football (aka foosball). He was also a poet, publisher and anarchist.[1][2][3][4]

Biography

He was born Alexandre Campos Ramírez in 1919 to the radio-telegraphist at the lighthouse in Fisterra. He was injured when Franco's fascist forces bombed Madrid in November 1936 and had the idea for a football game while in Barcelona recovering.[5] While convalescing in Montserrat, Barcelona he realized that he and his fellow wounded Republicans would never play football again and he had the idea for the table game.[6] He patented his invention in Barcelona in 1937 and he also patented a foot-pedal that lets musicians turn the pages of their scores.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Alejandro Finisterre | Spain | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com.
  2. ^ "Finisterre, Alejandro, 1919-2007". libcom.org.
  3. ^ "El poeta anarquista que inventó el taca-taca para la niñez víctima de la Guerra Civil Española".
  4. ^ "El poeta anarquista que inventó el taca-taca". La Hora. February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11.
  5. ^ "Alejandro Finisterre - The inventor of Table Football". Typically Spanish. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  6. ^ Eaude, Michael (24 February 2007). "Alejandro Finisterre". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Who Invented Foosball?". Liberty Games. Retrieved 18 September 2017.


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