Over at Smithsonian, Jimmy Stamp shares a brief history of the cuckoo clock, likely invented in 17th century Germany.
After a century of development that saw wood replaced with brass and metal, two distinct styles of cuckoo clock emerged from the Black Forest to dominate the market: The ornamented, house-like "Bahnhäusleuhr" or "railroad house" and the Jagdstück" or "Hunt piece" or "traditional style" clock, which features elaborate, decorative hand carved nature scenes adorning a simple encasement…
So why a cuckoo? The common cuckoo, native to Europe, had long served as a natural marker of time, a welcome harbinger of Spring whose familiar calls denoted the coming of the new season and warmer weather.
