Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World

By: W. Bernard Carlson, The Great Courses

Narrated by: W. Bernard Carlson

Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

We’re surrounded by inventions. Clocks, appliances, cars, televisions, cell phones...the list goes on and on. Where did all these inventions come from? How do they work? And how do they reflect - even define - the values of our culture?

Now, you can learn the remarkable stories surrounding monumental inventions - and how consequential these inventions were to history. Taught by Professor W. Bernard Carlson of the University of Virginia, who is an expert on the role of innovation in history, these 36 enlightening lectures give you a broad survey of material history, from the ancient pottery wheel to the Internet and social media. Along with recounting the famous inventions you might expect, such as the steam engine, the airplane, and the atomic bomb, this course explores a number of surprising innovations, including beer, pagodas, and the operating room.

From ancient China to 21st-century America, from the English coal mines to the high-tech companies of Silicon Valley, this course takes you around the world and across the ages to introduce you to some of the most innovative moments in human civilization. This unique approach to history will boost your technology literacy and give you a completely new appreciation for the everyday objects around you.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2013 The Great Courses (P)2013 The Teaching Company, LLC

Ultimately Engaging, with Shortcomings

Others note the key challenges with this title: 1) frequent references to models and photographs which cannot be seen by the audiobook listener 2) Less than professional delivery which includes mispronunciations, missed words and sometimes wrong words. These both annoy, but ultimately you can get past them when the content becomes engaging. Which it does. Eventually.

One of my biggest criticisms comes in the use of the word "Inventions" in the title. Ultimately this is NOT a series of stories about individual developments. Rather it is an economic history of humankind. Most of the items discussed had no inventor and no breakthrough moment. What they do share is that they evolved to become important aspects of how humans interact and exchange value. Some of these are quite mundane (Shopping malls), others, ultimately, hew closer to popular imagination: computers, the Internet, etc.

If my experience of the book stopped there, I would certainly have rated it higher. However, one relatively early chapter happened to deal with a subject which I have studied professionally most of my life. In that chapter, statements are made which are utterly incorrect and grossly misleading. (Some I have never heard from any source, ever.) After listening to that chapter I really considered returning the book for a refund. And from then on, I viewed the book as far less authoritative. But after setting it aside for awhile and listening to another chapter that was of interest, I came around to this presentation of "economic history as entertainment" approach. It became more of a title to fall asleep to rather than one for prime-time listening (and learning).

A little bit lacking

Fun ideas, but the historical details are off. Not gonna finish this one because some of his facts and perspectives are just too much askew for me.

Worthwhile interesting listen

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It takes the listener through many different inventions that made impacts on our lives. While I felt it was a good book, it didn't quite hold my attention well enough to give it 5 stars. It is a worthwhile listen however and I do put my recommendation as to a listen. It is perfect for those road trips.

If you don't know where you've been . . .

Though "Connections" by British author, James Burke, remains my all time favorite inventions guru, Dr. Carlson does a great job describing a wide range of important innovations which have come about through the contributions of inventors and the historical and social forces which lead to their introduction, use and offspring. I would be curious to learn which inventions didn't make the 'cut'; I might guess these surgeries were painful to have been made. Please, take this course!

Interesting class, but audio editing needs work.

Fascinating content, but the audio editor has a fondness for pregnant pauses. It is clear that the lecturer flubs occasionally and the end product is an amalgamation of good takes… but whoever pasted it together left the gaps between takes a bit too long. He says something, then there is a pause a few beats too long, and then he continues. It is everywhere and it gets annoying.

A great overview of the history of inventions

This Great Course gives a really good overview of the history of important inventions from ancient times (such as metal working, pottery) through the golden age of inventions (telephone, light build, radio, etc.) to modern times (cell phone, internet, etc.). I also appreciated his thoughts on motivation for inventions, which I’ve heard at least one much more famous author get wrong (I have >50 patents, so am somewhat of an expert). I would recommend this lecture series to all engineers and history buffs. I should mention that he stumbles in his delivery quite frequently, but it is totally forgivable and I got used to it after a while.

Exactly what I wanted

I loved this tour of history from the focus of great inventions. Very insightful. If you are an expert in an area he covers, you might notice some minor mistakes, but not enough to worry about. It's impossible to be an expert in every field, and this course covers many interesting ones.

Fascinating and full of insights but difficult to listen to at times

Interesting insights and details on the inventions that shaped our modern world. Lecturer did a masterful job of weaving it all together from early agriculture to the transistor. Made me look at and appreciate the world around me on many new levels. Only downside was the lecturer's difficulty with stuttering which I learned to ignore for the sake of hearing what he had to say. It was well worth my effort and it made me respect him even more. I'd rather hear him deliver his material than someone else.

Facts

Professor Carlson,

In lecture 35, Lebanon used the internet and did uprisings before any of the countries you mentioned. Please check this fact. All these countries you mentioned followed suit. Lebanon was first.

Value of a good reader

The reader regularly stumbled over words and phrases; there were long pauses that were not for thoughts or ideas; he spoke of diagrams and examples that were not visible in an audio format;