"From the New York Times-bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad Is Good for You, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas. In this illustrated volume, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences....

A book by the bestselling, American Book Award-winning author. In Lies Across America, James W. Loewen continues his mission, begun in the award-winning Lies My Teacher Told Me, of overturning the myths and misinformation that too often pass for American history. This is a one-of-a-kind examination of historic sites all over the country where history is literally written on the landscape, including historical markers, monuments, historic houses,...

Offers a revisionist look at the people and events that shaped the nation while addressing such politically incorrect questions as Did the American Indian really live in perfect harmony with nature? and Did the Founding Fathers support immigration?

Mister Simnel has produced a great clanging monster of a mchine that harnesses the power of all the elements - earth, air, fire, and water, and soon it's drawing astonished crowds. To the consternation of Ankh-Morpork's formidable Patrician, Lord Vetinari, no one is in charge of this new invention. Who better to take the lead than the man he has already appointed master of the Post Office, the Mint, and the Royal Bank? Moist von Lipwig is not a man...

Presents the stories behind forty things that were invented or named by accident, including aspirin, X-rays, frisbees, silly putty, and velcro.

Teaches readers how to stop dreaming about becoming an inventor--and take steps to make their dreams come true, offering helpful tips for finding inspiration, keeping an ideas journal, and always thinking about how to improve things.