inventions

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

Mr. Sludgeco, owner of the planet-polluting power plant, wants to destroy the eco-friendly windmill that Buzz Beaker's dad invented to power the entire town.

Examines the function, design, and technology of such everyday things as eating utensils, chairs, and telephones.

Photographs and text explore such inventions as the wheel, gears, levers, clocks, telephones, and rocket engines.

Discusses how computers can be used as a tool for inventors, how the new media and the Internet have changed the way people do research, managing these new techniques, and the people who are involved in these fields.

Traces the "power revolution" that transformed America from an agrarian society into a technological superpower, evaluating the contributions of such figures as George Westinghouse, J. P. Morgan, and Thomas Edison.