What Would We Do Without Them?The following books examine the work of some individuals, well and no so well known, whose inventions changed lives, if not the course of history.
The Spirit of Invention : The Story of the Thinkers, Creators, & Dreamers Who Formed Our Nation by Julie M. Fenster with the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Invention offers a fascinating look at the work of notable inventors you've no doubt heard of (Eli Whitney, Thomas Edison, Robert Goddard) as well as those about whom you may know little: Gertrude Forbes (ironing board cover); John Dove (concepts behind the compact disc) or Luther Burbank (revolutionized plant breeding). This easy format book is a winner for browsers and deep readers alike.
Also Recommended
They Made America : From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine : Two Centuries of Innovators by Harold Evans
Feminine Ingenuity: Women & Invention in America by Anne Macdonald covers some of the inventions women have contributed over the last two hundred years.
Made to Break : Technology & Obsolescence in America by Giles Slade discusses the dangers and implications of planned obsolescence.
For those interested in Connecticut's early innovators, Yankee Dreamers and Doers : the Story of Connecticut Manufacturing by Ellsworth S. Grant provides a great overview.
Post by Bev Simmons
