The 20th century was a time of extraordinary change as new technologies and inventions emerged at a bewildering rate. From the amazingly complex to the brilliantly simple, this entertaining and insightful guide investigates mankind's greatest creations and successes, including space travel, television, mechanized war, medicine, video games, skyscrapers, electronic espionage, and much more. Along with the achievements, the hidden stories behind why some inventions--including the Zeppelin and the hovercraft--struggled to make their mark, and why others failed altogether, are also investigated. Packed with surprising statistics and intriguing facts, this is the ideal volume for anyone who wants to know the story behind history's greatest gadgets and ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Enjoyable reading:
The 20th century summed up as a series of important inventions and developments. It's an interesting and entertaining read, and May writes with wit and charm (full disclosure, I have a bit of a crush going here, so I could be slightly biased! And who knows, maybe the coauthor wrote the best bits). It's not meant to be the definitive work on the century, I imagine, but it's a great look at where lots of our important things came from, and where they went. You'll come away knowing a little more about any... more info
Entertaining technology overview:
Fans of James May's work on Top Gear will not be disappointed with this collection of essays on many of the major technological advances of the twentieth century. There are some obscure (and entertaining) details within, but serious tech geeks won't encounter much they didn't already know. As a serious tech geek myself, that didn't keep me from enjoying it.
