Technology History Nonfiction

What do the wheel, the printing press, the light bulb, and the smartphone have in common? Each began as a simple idea—and went on to change the course of human history. 100 Inventions That Changed the World takes readers on a fascinating journey through the breakthroughs that shaped civilization. From the earliest tools that helped humans survive to the advanced technologies that define modern life, this book reveals how creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving have driven progress for thousands of years. Inside, you’ll discover: How ancient inventions laid the foundations of society ...

Did you know Toll House Cookies were created accidentally in an old Toll House in Massachusetts by a woman hurrying to make a tasty snack for her patrons? And did you know that Liquid Paper® (or white-out) was invented because of one small typing mistake? Often overshadowed by famous male inventors, women have also made many significant contributions to science and industry.

Before their experiments, inventions, and discoveries that changed the world, the world’s most celebrated scientists had regular-kid problems just like you. Stephen Hawking hated school and preferred to spend his free time building model airplanes, inventing board games, and even building his own computer. Jane Goodall got in trouble for bringing worms and snails into her house. And Neil deGrasse Tyson had to start a dog-walking business to save up money to buy a telescope.

Tracy Kidder's "riveting" (Washington Post) story of one company's efforts to bring a new microcomputer to market won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and has become essential reading for understanding the history of the American tech industry. Computers have changed since...

Although Orville and Wilbur Wright are celebrated today as heroes for their revolutionary contributions to science and engineering - they are acknowledged as the first men to successfully achieve powered, piloted flight - their success was hard-earned. In fact, it took the self-taught engineers years of work and dozens of crashes before they managed a single 12-second flight! In this first installment of the brand new Epic Fails series, Ben Thompson and Erik Slader take listeners through the Wright brothers' many mishaps and misadventures as they paved the way for modern aviation.

THE STRANGEST COLD WAR HEIST YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF—AND IT REALLY HAPPENED. June 1962. An abandoned Soviet drifting ice station groans in the polar night. Two American operatives, half-frozen and hauling armfuls of secret gear, stare into a blizzard and pray they can hear engines. Their ride home isn’t a helicopter or submarine—it’s a lumbering World War II B‑17 that intends to snatch them off the ice with a balloon, a cable, and a V‑shaped hook. Miss once and they die. Hit it, and they’re yanked into the sky like human kites. Skyhooked: The Untold Shocking True Story of ...

From Oxford's leading AI researcher comes a fun and accessible tour through the history and future of one of the most cutting edge and misunderstood field in science: Artificial Intelligence The somewhat ill-defined long-term aim of AI is to build machines that are conscious, self-aware, and...

Learn how fossils teach us about dinosaurs.

All throughout history, Black men have made important contributions to scientific discovery. This collection of biographies for kids explores 15 of these intelligent men and the extraordinary scientific accomplishments they achieved—even when they faced huge challenges. You’ll learn how they stood up against racism and inequality and never stopped following their passions for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

A DIFFERENT TAKE ON HISTORIC TRIVIA-----IDEAL AS A CHRISTMAS STOCKING FILLER! “It Happened Today” opens the calendar of modern history. From New Year’s Day to New Year’s Eve, each date reveals one decisive moment since nineteen hundred that changed the course of the world. Revolutions and peace accords, discoveries and disasters, moon landings and silent acts of courage all appear on the day they happened. A book to dip into share and return to and to see your own birthday in a completely new light.

Welcome to South Africa! Hear the sounds of 11 official languages. Learn about lions and elephants on safari. Try new sports like cricket and rugby. Learn about the people, places, and traditions of this diverse African country.

Travel to Mexico. Find out the facts about this country in North America.

Before history had a name, our ancestors huddled around a single, precious fire. In its flickering light, humanity was born. It was a light of community, of safety, and of the dawning of consciousness itself. That primal flame was the first volley in a 400,000-year war against the darkness—a war we have finally, and perhaps tragically, won. Our world is now saturated with a brilliant, inexpensive, and ever-present light. But what if the enemy we so successfully vanquished was also our most ancient and vital sanctuary? Spanning continents and centuries, Chasing the Sun unfolds this epic ...

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface in July of 1969, they wore spacesuits made by Playtex: 21 layers of fabric, each with a distinct yet interrelated function, custom-sewn for them by seamstresses whose usual work was fashioning bras and girdles. This book is the story of that spacesuit. It is a story of the triumph over the military-industrial complex by the International Latex Corporation, best known by its consumer brand of "Playtex" - a victory of elegant softness over engineered hardness, of adaptation over cybernetics.

Tesla: The Man Who Saw the Future and Lived in the Shadows Step into the extraordinary life of Nikola Tesla—the forgotten genius who lit the world, dreamed of wireless power, and lived years ahead of his time. From his humble beginnings in a small village in Croatia to the dazzling laboratories of New York City, Tesla transformed electricity, wireless communication, and modern engineering. He battled giants like Thomas Edison, envisioned technologies that seemed impossible, and became a legend shrouded in mystery. Yet despite his brilliance, Tesla’s final years were spent in obscurity...

Review from sALIENt - 5 stars - Unputdownable - "Very different book from the ones I generally read but found once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The storyline grabs you and you just have to know what happened next. A really good read." Lights in the Woods: Unravelling the Rendlesham Forest Mystery. Rendlesham Forest, located in Suffolk, England, is a site of significant interest not only for nature lovers but also for those intrigued by unexplained phenomena. This vast expanse of woodlands, encompassing approximately 5,800 acres, gained international notoriety due to the ...

Experience Earth from the big bang to the dinosaurs and beyond in this beautifully written, vibrant overview of our home planet's journey from creation to our time today.

Being seen did not become easier. It became continuous. At the start of the 21st century, sharing online still felt like conversation. You posted to speak. You wrote to connect. Response was optional. Then attention became measurable. Likes, reactions, and feeds transformed expression into something that could be tracked, predicted, and optimized. What people saw was no longer simply what was new, but what the system believed they would notice. Identity became responsive. Visibility became currency. When Attention Became a System traces how social media quietly reshaped how people ...

They weren’t supposed to succeed. So they changed the rules. Throughout the 19th century, women were told to be quiet, ornamental, and obedient—to tend the parlor, not the laboratory; to nurture children, not ideas. But behind the velvet curtains and beyond the parlor walls, something extraordinary was happening. Women across the world were inventing themselves—into chemists and astronomers, engineers and tycoons, doctors and dreamers. They were building the future while history forgot their names. Inventing Herself uncovers the true stories of women whose work shaped science, ...

Discover the inventions you didn’t know you couldn’t live without. Brilliantly Overlooked: The Hidden Tech That Changed Our World takes you on a journey through seven unsung innovations that quietly shaped modern life—from the rotary washing machine and the Thermos flask to fuel cells, gas turbines, and the zipper. Each chapter brings to life the story behind a seemingly simple invention: who made it, how it works, and why it matters far more than it gets credit for. With vivid storytelling, accessible science, and historical depth, this book makes engineering and design come alive ...