They All Laughed... From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives (Paperback)

~ Ira Flatow (Author) "ONE OF THE greatest myths of American history is the one told about Ben Franklin and his kite..." (more)
Key Phrases: bouncing putty, platinum air, liquid transmitter, New York, United States, World War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Flatow, host of a National Public Radio weekly science talk show and author of Why Rainbows? And Other Wonders of the Natural World Explained (Morrow, 1988), has put together an entertaining overview of how some of our more interesting scientific discoveries and inventions have come to be. From teflon to lasers, from xerography to velcro, he humorously describes the often serendipitous events leading to the particular breakthrough. The treatment is enthusiastic and lighthearted and not organized in any thematic or chronological fashion. Quick and informative reading that is recommended for larger collections.
- Hilary D. Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Livermore, Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

An enlightening and fun look at scientific discoveries and the often wacky and accidental ways in which they have led to some of the most important inventions--by award-winning journalist Ira Flatow.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (June 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060924152
• ISBN-13: 978-0060924157
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #428,398 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A working fax machine was developed before the telephone?, March 23, 1998

By A Customer

Yes, a working fax machine was developed in the early 19th century by an Italian priest. The microware oven came about because a chocolate bar melted in someone's pocket. The story behind these and others inventions are covered in this book by Ira Flatow, currently science anchor of NPR's Talk of the Nation Science Friday. What Mr. Flatow does in this book is show how inventing can be serentipitous and exciting. This book is not a dull treatise on the history of technology, but a fun journey through the history of familar inventions and their inventors. The prose is extremely readable as you might expect from someone who has hosted public radio and television programs on popular science topics. As the title connotes, many famous inventions were first received with ridicule. Such is the process of invention which is full of struggles and dead-ends that is usually necessary to achieve something significant (which is what Edison was trying to communicate with his famous quote about inspiration and persperation). If there is any weakness to this book it is the lack of depth, so the interested reader should seek out books that complement this one such as "Inventors at Work : Interviews With 16 Notable American Inventors" by Kenneth A. Brown for a perspective on active inventors and "Edison: Inventing the Century" by Neil Baldwin for an in-depth biography on the world famous inventor. Fans of televisions "Connections," "Invention," or "Newton's Apple" (which Ira Flatow wrote and hosted) are sure to like this book. Inventing is really about the application of science rather than the discovery of scientific principles, so those who prefer the latter might want to consider the writings of Jeremy Bernstein or James Gleick. All in all, "They All Laughed" is an excellent book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful, Cheeky Tour of Discovery and Serendipity!, March 18, 1998

By	T. A. Hanson ([e-mail]) (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

If you travel through this modern world with even the slightest sense of childlike wonder, you'll delight in this book. If you travel through this world without benefit of that childlike wonder, then you absolutely need this book. Beginning with the first few pages, Ira Flatow takes you on fascinating and occasionally irreverent tour of science institutes, research laboratories and all those other places where science is practiced, but often something more akin to magic happens. The book is well written, highly informative and even capable of revising much of what you might have once believed about science. If you think, like I once did, that modern science is a wholly precise and calculating world, this book will change your mind. In fact, after reading this book I came away with a much greater appreciation both for the role that pure accidents sometimes play in all our lives and for the strange way these opportunities have and can lead to great discoveries. I doubt they'll ever teach this in high school science classes, but then cheeky science was never this fashionable.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars highly readable and entertaining, February 17, 2007

By	Doc Dave "Doc Dave" (Georgia) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful little history of inventions book. The writing is in a very reader-friendly style, and even slow readers (like me) will probably breeze through this book in no time. The author does a great job of choosing the most interesting inventions and stories to delve into. The only criticism I have is that the level of detail is often not very deep, i.e. there is typically more indepth coverage found on History Channel documentaries. In fairness though, the book provides a fast, interesting and enjoyable read, and it is likely that more detail would have detracted from those features. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of technology and invention.