The original is in the "Musée des arts et métiers" Museum in Paris. I highly recommend to visit the museum if you ever are in Paris. It's filled with all kind of original scientific and engineering devices. Lavoisier device that split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Jaquard's weaving loom using punching cards. Clément Ader's late 19th century attempt at creating a plane. Blaise Pascal's Mechanical calculator. Prototype metre bar. Old supercomputers...
They also have Foucoult's pendulum (the original, as well a working replica in action). It's a really unique feeling to observe the earth rotating beneath you.
I loved this museum when I visited. I learned about here on Hacker News, so I hope others will take note of this museum. It was remarkable how beautifully designed the objects were. Scientific instruments, architectural models, prototypes and machinery. All beautifully made with a focus on aesthetics as well as functionality.
If you pass in Milan you should not miss the "museo nazionale della scienza e tecnologia leonardo da vinci"[0], filled with labs, expositions ... and a real submarine (the S506 Enrico Toti)
"Popular legend says it belched and snorted through the streets, frightening the good citizens of Paris, before it overturned and knocked down a wall, whereupon it was confiscated and its inventor thrown into prison"
During the first test, the brakes didn't work and it knocked down a brick wall. It was in Paris close suburbs, not in Paris intra-muros.
I am not aware that he was thrown in jail for that, it seems unlikely.
I love to watch recordings of big engines starting. I am so glad there are organizations and individuals preserving these artifacts and keeping them running. My favorite examples below: steam locomotive [1], and stationary pump engine [2].
