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An enlightening and fun look at scientific discoveries and the often wacky and accidental ways in which they have led to some of the most important inventions--by award-winning journalist Ira Flatow.
Revenge of the ... well, you know...Reviewed by Mitchell Ito, 2010-01-22
Very good, well written book that I will read a couple more times. Inspirational in that not every world changing event was welcomed with open arms and truck loads of money being thrown at inventors... All were good examples of inventions that changed lives and made the world a better place. You don't have to be a nerd to enjoy this book, but being a person who has lab note books for everything I do, well, makes it easier to "laugh last"...
FascinatingReviewed by HLR, 2009-05-27
I found this book fascinating - it's like traveling back in time, to the worlds of Edison and the like. Seeing their failures and triumphs through the eyes of the ever-passionate Ira Flatow humanizes the scientists behind the inventions we take for granted today. Entertaining, informative, just great.
The Stories Behind the Great InventionsReviewed by Acute Observer, 2007-12-11
Ira Flatow is a science reporter and journalist. He wanted to write
a book on the history of science and technology featuring stories
about common inventions that had unusual beginnings (p.xi). When he
learned how Benjamin Franklin showed lightning was electricity in
1752 after publishing his theory. One effect was his invention of
lightning rods (p.8). Franklin's reputation earned French help for
the Revolution (p.9). Edison gets the credit for the electric light
bulb but others were on the same track (Chapter 2). Edison "merely
improved upon the work of others" (p.24). "Merely?" Chapter 3
explains the adoption of alternating current. George Eastman
invented photography for everyone (Chapter 4). The story of
microwave cooking is in Chapter 6. The first facsimile machine was
patented in 1843 (Chapter 7). A small portable device was used to
send photographs by 1914 (p.69).
The invention of the telephone is a colorful story (Chapter 8).
Alexander Graham Bell wanted to invent a "harmonic telegraph" to
multiplex telegraph messages using a different tone for each
message (p.75). The life of Thomas A. Watson is notable (p.86).
Chapter 9 explains who invented television from 1884. Philo T.
Farnsworth received the first US patent (p.101). RCA tried to steal
the credit (p.102). American TV is incompatible with the two
European systems (PAL and SECAM). Chapter 11 tells of the invention
of dry writing (xerography). Chester F. Carlson became very wealthy
and gave away much of his wealth. The invention of the laser in the
1950s is described in Chapter 12.
Chapter 14 tells of a failed experiments that led to the invention
of Teflon and Nylon (Chapter 15). A waste product from oil wells
became the soothing salve of Vaseline in 1870 (Chapter 16). Another
accident led to the discovery of artificial sweeteners saccharin
(1879), cyclamates (1937), and aspartame (1965). But there were
problems with these chemicals. The "world's first vacuum-tube
computers" contributed to every major battle in Europe (Chapter
19). They helped to break the German teletype code. The `Colossus'
project was first designed for telephone switching. [The word
`buggy' for errors predates the electronic computer.]
The modern submarine was invented in 1881 by John Holland (Chapter
20). It had everything but a periscope (p.189). Mechanical analog
computers were used to control naval guns. Electrical analog
computers were an improvement (Chapter 21). Many tried to invent
writing machines before Christopher Latham-Sholes patented one in
1868 (Chapter 22). It produced consistent quality and was more
productive. [But it was becoming obsolete as this book was
written.] Why was Europe mainly illiterate in olden days? There was
no paper for reading. Chapter 23 tells how making paper from wood
was invented in the 19th century. Wasps make paper from wood
(p.208). Wood-pulp paper became popular in the 1880s (p.212). The
first crude video game was created in 1958 (p.212).
The `Epilogue' has the sad facts for an American inventor. Form
follows finances, not function. "Not invented here" (p.224) means a
company would be controlled by an outside force. Flatow ignored the
sewing and knitting machines. [The transistor was first invented in
1930 by a small company. AT&T copied its patent and filed a day
before its competitors in 1947. GM used transistors in its 1958 car
radios. Big Oil used its banks so TV manufacturers had to use tubes
until they went bust.]
Patent attorneys: give more to NPR!Reviewed by Olga Kay, 2007-09-28
Surprise: Ira Flatow is as smart as he sounds. This book is very well researched and very well written. Skinny as it is, the book gives a great summary of many famous inventions in a funny and accessible way. Overall, the book is a great homage to the times when the inventor was an eccentric guy in the garage. But I was shocked to find out how far the legends have gone from the real facts. Thanks Ira for setting the record straight.
highly readable and entertainingReviewed by Doc Dave, 2007-02-18
This is a wonderful little history of inventions book. The writing is in a very reader-friendly style, and even slow readers (like me) will probably breeze through this book in no time. The author does a great job of choosing the most interesting inventions and stories to delve into. The only criticism I have is that the level of detail is often not very deep, i.e. there is typically more indepth coverage found on History Channel documentaries. In fairness though, the book provides a fast, interesting and enjoyable read, and it is likely that more detail would have detracted from those features. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of technology and invention.
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