Bartolomeo Cristofori and the Piano

Thank you for inventing the piano, the grande old lady of music, who, next to the pipe organ is the most beautiful instrument ever! I love my piano and don't know what I would do without it.
Bartolomeo Cristofori was born in the Republic of Venice in Padua and was an instrument maker to the De Medici family.     He is credited with inventing the piano.
What an invention!
From Wikipedia:
 Probably the most important event in Cristofori's life is the first one of which we have any record: in 1688, at age 33, he was recruited to work for Prince Ferdinando de Medici. Ferdinando, a lover and patron of music, was the son and heir of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Tuscany was at a time still a small independent state.

It is not known what led Ferdinando to recruit Cristofori. The Prince traveled to Venice in 1688 to attend the Carnival, so he may have met Cristofori passing through Padua on his way home. Ferdinando was looking for a new technician to take care of his many musical instruments, the previous incumbent having just died. However, it seems possible that the Prince wanted to hire Cristofori not just as his technician, but specifically as an innovator in musical instruments. It would be surprising if Cristofori at age 33 had not already shown the inventiveness for which he later became famous.

I have a little baby grand that has gotten a lot of use.
My grandmother was a piano teacher and professional organist who played for many organizations and religions.
 It helped keep her family going during the depression when jobs for women were hard to     come by.
Now both the little and the famous anonymous are playing.
I began to imitate my grandmother on the piano, an upright grand, at 3.
Famous anonymous kid has been playing now for 10 years and the Little began at age 6.
Both my mother and father also played piano .
Do you play piano or another musical instrument?
I would love to hear about it.