Einstein's Refrigerator and Other Stories from Flip Side Of (Paperback)

by Steve Silverman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Steve Silverman was looking for a way to add some spice to his high school lectures when he realized that weird and bizarre true-life stories would capture his students' attention. In fact, they worked so well that the science teacher then began posting his discoveries to his own Web site, which he dubbed Useless Information. Well-researched and clearly sourced, Silverman's unusual tidbits have gained a wide following. In Einstein's Refridgerator, Silverman collects more than 30 of the most fascinating stories he has gathered - tales of forgotten genius, great blunders, and incredible feats of survival, as well as answers to puzzling questions. Einstein's Refridgerator is a remarkable book with spellbinding stories. Whatever happened to the refrigerator Einstein helped invent? While it never became a commercial success, its underlying concepts became the basis for cooling nuclear breeder reactors.

About the Author
Steve Silverman teaches earth science, physics, and computer science at Chatham High School near Albany, N.Y. An inventor with more than 100 inventions to his credit, Steve also maintains a Web site, Useless Information (www.uselessinformation.org), has won numerous awards, including Yahoo's Site of the Week.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740714198
• ISBN-13: 978-0740714191
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,474 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little less is more...., September 10, 2001

By	James T. King (Chagrin Falls, OH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Steve Silverman's "Einstein's Refrigerator" is a lot better in blurb-form than up close and personal. While the content of the tales themselves is often fascinating, the `transcribed-from-lecture" tone of the writings is noisome. Having taught at all levels of both ability and grade, I think more than a few in the main target audience will be put off by the "hip" one-liners and asides Silverman has peppered liberally throughout. I think he would have served himself, his students, and his content better had be edited his strained informality a bit more. Nonetheless, he has dug up some interesting and surprising details "from the flip side of history."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hillarious (and true!) flipside to history as we know it., November 13, 2001

By	Don Michalek (Norfolk, VA) - See all my reviews

All science teacher's should be like Steve! In a search to find the most interesting and obscure facts in history, this book is the champion. Many people find urban legends an irresistible read, and at first glance you would expect as much from Steve Silverman. The most amazing thing about it is these are, in fact, all true! From the secret of America's first subway to the near disaster of the Citicorp Tower, these stories are guaranteed to keep you reading on. Who would of thought that the screen siren Hedy Lamarr was actually a genius inventor that gave us the idea behind the cordless phones we all use today, and also brought about one of the biggest advances in our nations military technology? Or the fascinating The Lake Peigneur Disaster, where one false move by an oil rig made an entire lake disappear! This in one book I highly recommend. If you're looking for serious literary work, go buy Chaucer. If your looking for some good, light hearted humorous reading along the lines of Larry Gonick from "A Cartoon History Of The Universe", this one is for you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining (and educational)!, July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This is a great book for adults and kids. Some of the stories are hilarious, others outrageous, and most very educational. Ever wonder about the origin of kitty litter, why the inventor of Vaseline ate a spoonful every day, or how a college kid saved the NY Citicorp tower from falling over? Maybe not, but you'll be entertained by these humorous, but true stories of inventions, disasters and mishaps.