Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories From Einstein's Refrigerator [Paperback]

Steve Silverman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2003

Several years ago, a New York high school teacher began using the Internet to post strange-but-true history and science factoids for his students to read. What began as an interesting Web site for students at Chatham High School soon became an internationally recognized page that garnered numerous awards, including Yahoo's Site of the Week. In 2001, some of the stories were assembled into Einstein's Refrigerator, which has been translated into Korean and Chinese.Now comes silliness squared with Lindbergh's Artificial Heart, author Steve Silverman's second collection of offbeat and often hilarious stories that offer a fascinating side of history that's not usually taught in school. o Lindbergh's artificial heart: Few people know it, but the famous aviator spent considerable time working on an artificial heart.o Exploding whale: What did the Oregon Department of Transportation do with a dead whale that washed up on one of its beaches? Suffice it to say their decision to blow it up was quite the blubber blunder.o Nose picking: Delve into the humorous findings of a study of this bad habit conducted by one of our institutions of higher learning.o The fastest charcoal lighter ever: Using liquid oxygen at your family barbecue may speed up the cooking, but it does have it's drawbacks . . . such as the fact that it vaporizes your grill. Carefully researched and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, the entertaining and educational stories within this book's 192 pages-many never before shared on-line or otherwise-will delight students and teachers alike.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

High school teacher Silverman, who created a Web site for his students that gained widespread popularity, returns with a second volume (after Einstein's Refrigerator) of strange-but-true tales. With humor (sometimes clearly informed by experience: "you should never, ever, mention the name Uranus in a high school classroom!"), he relates how the astronomer Sir John Herschel, in 1835, discovered signs of life on the moon; how Joshua L. Cohen gave away the invention that led to the creation of the battery-powered flashlight and the Eveready Corporation (he then went on to invent the Lionel train); and how, for his own science classes, Silverman makes a pickle to light up like a lightbulb by "electrocuting" it. ("Don't try this one at home," he warns). Science fans and trivia buffs alike will find lots of strange, entertaining anecdotes here in short, bite-size chunks.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Trivia connoisseurs will enjoy these true but tall-sounding tales that are a cross between Ripley's Believe It or Not and Paul Harvey's the Rest of the Story (Bantam, 1984). The five sections have intriguing titles: "Uh, Oh!"; "The Creative Mind at Work"; "Hard to Believe"; "It All Comes with Being Human"; and "Hmmm," and include stories about hearsay phenomena, inventions and inventors, and human nature. Including famous personalities, as evidenced from the book's title, and more obscure history makers, this is fun recreational reading. The bulging bibliography also gives fuel for would-be inventors and teachers or students who need a nugget for a report or a nudge to explore.
Karen Sokol, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740733400
• ISBN-13: 978-0740733406
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars steve silverman is so cool, May 26, 2003

By 

L. J. Squitieri "Kathryn, book maniac" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories From Einstein's Refrigerator (Paperback)

when i read the first one, (einstein's refrigerator) all i could think about was what an awesome science teacher steve silverman must be. he must be so incredibly interesting. now that he put out a second book i wasnt expecting, i am just so glad he is able to share his stories with me.

if you love trivia or just interesting random facts/stories, you'll adore this book. i do.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had a science teacher as cool in high school, March 27, 2004

By 

Meg "Livin la vida loca in Maine!" (Caribou, ME, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories From Einstein's Refrigerator (Paperback)

Science to me as a history major is just alot of math, and then some good stuff behind it, but you have to pass the math first (which I could never do). These stories were hilarious, and showed me that science could be interesting if presented correctly. This past semester I took my first science course in 6 years - Intro to Physics! Like Steve Silverman, I have a professor who is hiliarious and makes the topics interesting enough that I muddle through the math to get to the good stuff. Here's to an excellent book that with humor has inspired many!

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stevie "The Rock" Silverman is SO COOL!, August 2, 2003

By 

Rand Macnally (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories From Einstein's Refrigerator (Paperback)

When I was in 9th grade I was told by my teacher to read a book of non-ficiton. I spent minutes in the library searching for the perfect book. Suddenly I came upon Einstein's Fridge. I was stunned. I though this was great. Abook that seemd good and would take no time to read. Also it is known to little I could just make up the stories to my teacher and she wouldn't know.
It was at this time that I found out that the book was written by a teacher in my school, Steve Silverman. I didn't realy know who he was, but by his book I could imagine he was the coolest. For months all I did was carry aroung his book dreaming of the day I could neet him. Finally the day came.
When I walked into class on the first day of school I was nervouse. When it came time to go to Silverman's class I was nervouse. Walking into the room a sense of astonishment came over me. The first time I layed eyes on Stevie I almost fanted. COuld hardly imagine that this adonis would be my teacher for the whole year.
Usually in class it was hard to pay attention to "The Rock" but there was one thing I did pay attention to. When "The Rock" told us he was coming out with a new book I almost cried. This was the news I have been waiting for my whole life. A few months later the book was out and I got my copy. The first thing I did was run to Stevie's room to get him to sign my copy. upon arriving I found my idol entangled with another. My heart was broken. I dropped the book and ran from the room. I thought my life was over until the next day. While handing out the tests, Stevie looked down at me with a smile. I turned away as he handed me the test. Just then I felt something strange. I looked down to find my book. I opend the cover to find an inscription from Steve.
What he wrote is to personal to share but what I can tell is it was amazing. Reading Limburg's Heart has changed my life greatly. This is the greatets book I have ever read.