Customer Reviews

The Greatest Science Stories Never Told: 100 tales of invention and discovery to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The English naturalist John Ray said "Nothing was invented and developed at the same time". As a result, for every invention, there are many back stories that fuel Rick Beyer's latest book about science and invention, a welcome addition to his "Greatest Stories Never Told" series. Think the Ferris Wheel refers to the material used to build it? Wrong. Think coin operated vending machines are a product of the 20th century? Wrong again. Beyer answers these questions and many more in a delightful, easy to read set of 100 stories.

Beyer's whit and wimsy is present throughout, making this tour through 2200 years informative, entertaining and engrossing. More than once, as I finished one of the two page articles, I said, "I'll read just one more...".

Who would like this book? Certainly people of all ages interested in science, engineering and invention. "Greatest Science Stories Never Told" also makes a great gift for a teenager who will be fascinated by the off-beat tales that frequently break with legendary accounts. The stories are organized by time, each including an accessible description of the invention or scientific principle, excellent historical illustrations and further back stories about related inventions or scientific developments.

Are these the standard stories about science and invention? No way. Rather you will read unconventional accounts about the frustrations, failures, insights and victories of scientists, engineers and inventors.

Ever wonder what happened to Einstein's eyeballs? OK, maybe not, but I'll bet you're curious now, aren't you? Beyer's book is full of fun and weird stories about the first computer bug (yes, there was an actual bug), the inventors of Kitty Litter and the Erector Set, and yes, the fate of Einstein's brain and eyeballs. Who knew that the first computer mouse was made with a roller ball from Ban deodorant? Not me, which is why I found this book impossible to put down. Reading it was like eating a box of candy - I kept saying, "OK just one more," until it was done. This book is the perfect gift for the science, technology and invention buffs on your list. Kudos to Beyer for a job well done.

For anyone interested in science, this is a great book to dip into and read a section ... or two ... or three ....

Beyer knows how to dish up interesting and sometimes controversial facts, and he adds resources to help you learn more about each of his subjects.

To whet your appetite, here's one example:

On October 29th, 1969 programmers at UCLA prepared to log onto a computer at Stanford. (The two universities were the first nodes on ARPANET, which eventually morphed into the internet.) Len Kleinrock re-enacted the moment for Beyer. They stood next to the IMP (Internet Message Processor), the first computer on the Internet, and Kleinrock recalled what happened:

"Charlie Klein with a headset and a microphone, connected over this network, with a voice line to the fellow at the other end. Charlie typed the L, said, 'Did you get the L?' The other guy said, 'I got the L.' He typed the o. 'Did you get the o?' 'I got the o.' He typed in the g. Crash. So the first message on the Internet was lo . . . as in 'Lo and Behold.'"

Beyer maintains quite an interesting website, and is working on a documentary called "The Ghost Army" about "one of the most unusual American military units of World War II. Its mission: to put on a "travelling road show" ... in a series of battles across Europe. From Normandy to the Rhine, the men of the 23rd used inflatable rubber tanks, sound trucks, phony radio transmissions and even playacting to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units across the battlefields of Europe."

This is the fourth book Beyer has written along these lines:

The Greatest Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy,

The Greatest War Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from Military History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy (History Channel), and

The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told: 100 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewilder, and Stupefy.

You may not agree with all of Beyer's conclusions, of course; he claims that Alexander Bell did not invent the telephone, a historical issue that has been hotly debated for a number of years, but it is great fun to get his take on a great variety of historical issues.

Robert C. Ross 2009

Some would call this perfect for bathroom reading. But it's much, much more than that.

Coupled with an innate sense of humor, Beyer has once again created a masterpiece. 100 short vignettes (each only 2 pages with lots of graphics) that is easy to read, interesting, historically accurate, and fun. And, it's not even about the science and inventions themselves. That only provides the backdrop for the real stories about the science and inventions that you've never heard about for one reason or another, and this is what Beyer focuses on. And, the stories are truly fascinating.

When I got the book, it took a while for me to pick it up. But, once I did, I couldn't put it down. Such whimsy and accuracy all in one package. Fantastic!

Indeed, I was hooked early on. But even more so when I got a little more than half way through the book and discovered some things that I actually experienced myself, lucky dog that I am. For example, my father was friends with Bill Lear, with whom I spent some time as a youngster growing up, and used a prototype of the 8-track he developed (and flew in his prototype Lear Jet). Later, I used Doug Engelbart's original mouse; it was the most accurate pointing device I've ever used and wish these newfangled optical wireless thingies were that good. And his demo that Beyer talks about, NLS, was truly amazing, especially for the time, and the start of what all of us do today when we use a computer. And, I know Ray Tomlinson, having done a thing or two in the development of email myself, building on what Ray started. Also, my wife was one of the members of the commercialization team for Post-it Notes.

All that says that I took his book even more personally than I thought I would. And, you probably will, too. Enjoy!

This book is a square-shaped hardcover that reads like it was meant to be in front of the toilet or perhaps in a middle school or elementary school. It reminds me of all the books I read at that age that didn't go into ANY depth about the stories they were telling, leaving you with a vast confused feeling that there should have been more space devoted to each story and less stories or more pages in the book.

The layout is in chronological order and each 2-page spread highlights a famous person. There is a very brief text on the left, and pictures with blurb tidbits on the right. So they'll say something like (to paraphrase) "Abe Lincoln developed a way to float barges across sandbars. He is the only president to hold a patent. Many engineers probably invented better ways, but could they have been successful presidents?" It doesn't say how his idea worked or how those "other engineers" could have improved the idea. Instead, it gives you an annoying thumbnail of Lincoln's sketch that is too small to make out and tells you something about how he liked to wear big stovepipe hats and store papers in it.

I am disappointed with this book. Each story has the potential to be so interesting and informative, but instead you don't really learn anything from this book because of the scanty 3 paragraphs alotted for each.

I've loved all the books in Rick Beyer's "Greatest Stories...." series, but I have a special fondness for this one. I grew up in a scientific household (physicist Dad, chemist Mom) and have always been fascinated by science stories. This book tells one hundred short stories about science--mostly about the practical side of science as manifested in inventions. It runs from Archimedes' "Eureka" moment in 265 BC up to private space travel in the 21st century. In between it touches on inventors and scientists you've heard of (Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein), inventors you've never heard of, and famous folks who also happened to invent things (like Abe Lincoln and Mark Twain). Many inventors worked doggedly at their ideas for decades, and died without recognition. Others invented things by accident. Still others invented things that couldn't be made practical until many years later. But you'll enjoy reading every one of their stories! Beyer writes in a comfortable and witty style, and his tales are meticulously researched. Buy two--one to keep and one to give away!

A well written book with overwhellming evidence supporting evolution. The vast majority of people, world-wide, are still creationist, and probably will remain so.

a fun read. some i knew of; some i didn't. as with all of rick beyer's books...an entertaining way to learn things one may not even guess they wanted to know. a fun read.

This is the second book my family's purchased in Rick Beyer's series of Greatest Stories Never Told. We're enjoying this one as much as he last.

The only way I'd classify this as a "bathroom book" is to use it as toilet paper.
This was a huge ripoff. The only people who will gain anything from this book
are those who have never read a newspaper, watched PBS, listened to NPR, or
graduated from high school.