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Title: They All Laughed... From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives by Ira Flatow ISBN: 0060924152 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: June, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.71
Rating: 3
Summary: Interesting trivia
Comment: I found this book while browsing the shelves of Half-Price Books in Bellevue. What I was looking for was some light, entertaining non-fiction--something I could read a chapter or essay of and then put down. I had been having trouble maintaining my concentration on a single book for very long, possibly because my work life had been so erratic recently that I was having trouble slowing my mind down to focus on any one thing. This book filled the bill perfectly.
Basically a series of essays by Flatow, host of Talk of the Nation: Science Fridays and former NPR correspondent, in which he examines basic inventions that weíve grown to accept as necessities from light bulbs to lasers. Oftentimes what weíve come to know as "the story" of the invention, like Benjamin Franklinís kite experiment, is but a brief moment in the chain of events that led to the mass production or use of the object or phenomena. Flatow makes a wonderful argument that more than the common wisdom "inventor" should be credited with the discovery, while never belittling the genius of creation.
The tone is never dry, and the subjects--blenders, televisions, telephones, Velcro, Teflon, nylon, etc.--are stuff from everyday life. At the least, the book provides some interesting trivia on applied science.
Rating: 4
Summary: A science book for the average Joe
Comment: I've been a fan of Ira Flatow's for many years. I first heard him doing stories on NPR's "All Things Considered", reporting on any news of the day that had even a hint of science in it. I lost track of him for a few years when he became the science correspondent for "Talk of the Nation" - that program was on in the middle of my work day and I couldn't listen to it. But I did manage to catch his stint on PBS's "Newton's Apple", and my only complaint was that the show didn't last longer.
It's a real pleasure to discover that Flatow has written a book that is just as easy for the average person to understand as his reports on NPR and his demonstrations on "Newton's Apple". "They All Laughed" tells the stories behind several inventions that we all take for granted. And you can figure out the theme of each of these stories by the title of the book - when each of these items, gadgets, etc. first came out, the general reaction was basically, "WHY?"
Along the way, Flatow gives us some information that we might not be aware of. I for one did not know that the story of Ben Franklin and the kite was just that - a story. It's true that Franklin flew the kite, but it's not true that the kite was struck by lightning.
My personal favorite among all of Flatow's stories is the one about the invention of Silly Putty. I remember playing with the stuff as a kid and marveling that I could press it onto a comic strip, lift it up, and VOILA! A reverse image of the comic. I never asked who invented Silly Putty, but now I wish I had.
If there is an audio version of this book I hope it's Flatow who's doing the narration. I'd buy it in a New York minute.
Rating: 2
Summary: Few laughs, fascintating not
Comment: I read this one after finding it mentioned in Bill Bryson's Made in America. Since the former isn't very interesting, it's no surprise that this one isn't either. If you want chatty anecdotes about the inventors and their madness, this is for you. If you want to see how inventors have really made an impact on the twentieth century and living standards, then you'll have to dig a bit harder.
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Title: Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones, John O'Brien ISBN: 0385320434 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: June, 1994 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories About Inventions by Don L. Wulffson ISBN: 0141302046 Publisher: Puffin Pub. Date: March, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: World's Wackiest Inventions by A. E. Brown, H. A. Jeffcott ISBN: 0486225968 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: June, 1970 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: Totally Absurd Inventions America'S Goofiest Paten by Ted Vancleave ISBN: 0740710257 Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Pub. Date: 15 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Girls Think of Everything : Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh ISBN: 0395937442 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 24 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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