 As a contrasting example, however, sometimes claims were accepted without any replication. In the 1650s, German scientist Otto von Guericke designed and operated the world’s first vacuum pump that would visibly suck air out of a larger space. He performed experiments with his device to various audiences. Yet the replication of his experiments by others would have been very difficult, if not impossible: not only was Guericke’s pump both expensive and complicated to build, but it was also unlikely that his descriptions of it sufficed to enable anyone to build the pump and to consequently replicate his findings. Despite this, Steinle claims that “no doubts were raised about his results”, probably as a results of his “public performances that could be witnessed by a large number of participants” (2016: 55).