"Marvels of Scientific Invention" by Thomas W. Corbin explores the transformative power of scientific advancements throughout history. The book delves into various inventions that have significantly impacted human life, from the wheel to the internet. Corbin presents a compelling narrative that highlights the creativity and ingenuity of inventors, showcasing how their contributions have shaped modern society. Each chapter focuses on a different invention, providing insights into the challe...

Corbin provides an engaging look at the various war inventions that transformed combat during this period, including tanks, airplanes, poison gas, submarines, and advanced weaponry. He discusses the historical context behind these inventions, how they were developed, and the role they played in shaping the course of military operations. The book emphasizes the dual nature of these innovations—while they brought strategic advantages to the military, they also introduced new challenges and m...

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION (1922): The Story of Mechanical Locomotion, with a description of the Construction & Working of the most up-to-date Inventions, Appliances and Devices for Securing Speed, Facility and Safety in Operation

Most people are afraid of the word explosion and shudder with apprehension at the mention of dynamite. The latter, particularly, conjures up visions of anarchists, bombs, and all manner of wickedness. Yet the time seems to be coming when every farmer will regard explosives, of the general type known to the public as dynamite, as among his most trusty implements. It is so already in some places. In the United States explosives have been used for years, owing to the exertions of the Du Pont ...

Most people are afraid of the word explosion and shudder with apprehension at the mention of dynamite. The latter, particularly, conjures up visions of anarchists, bombs, and all manner of wickedness. Yet the time seems to be coming when every farmer will regard explosives, of the general type known to the public as dynamite, as among his most trusty implements. It is so already in some places. In the United States explosives have been used for years, owing to the exertions of the Du Pont ...

Why isn't wood weaker that it is? Why isn't steel stronger? Why does glass sometimes shatter and sometimes bend like spring? Why do ships break in half? What is a liquid and is treacle one? All these are questions about the nature of materials. All of them are vital to engineers but also fascinating as scientific problems. During the 250 years up to the 1920s and 1930s they had been answered largely by seeing how materials behaved in practice. But materials continued to do things that they...

The purpose of this little book is to present the essential facts of electrical science in a popular and interesting way, as befits the scheme of the series to which it belongs. Electrical phenomena have been observed since the first man viewed one of the most spectacular and magnificent of them all in the thunderstorm, but the services of electricity which we enjoy are the product solely of scientific achievement in the nineteenth century. It is to these services that the main part of the...

In "Time and Clocks: A Description of Ancient and Modern Methods of Measuring Time," Sir Henry H. Cunynghame meticulously explores the evolution of timekeeping devices from antiquity to contemporary standards. This scholarly work interweaves historical narratives with technical descriptions, portraying how various cultures have approached the measurement of time. Cunynghame's elegant prose not only elucidates the mechanics of sundials, water clocks, and pendulum timepieces but also situate...

Nicola Tesla is as much man as he is legend. Born into a Serbian family during 1856 in what used to be the Austrian Empire, Tesla became a modern Merlin by inventing all sorts of amazing contraptions, providing the electrical power necessary for an economy increasingly dependent on it and creating an electronic revolution based on his theories and ideas. Considered the father of Alternating Current (AC power), the means to distribute it and the AC motor, he also demonstrated the first use...

In "On the Construction of a Silvered Glass Telescope," Henry Draper presents a meticulous examination of telescope design and fabrication, positioning the work as a critical contribution to both the field of astronomy and the broader scientific community of the 19th century. Draper's prose navigates the technical intricacies of telescope construction with a clarity that makes complex concepts accessible to both seasoned astronomers and enthusiastic amateurs. The book aligns itself with th...

“When Beckman wrote his History of Inventions, towards the close of last century, scarcely any of the wonderful discoveries and contrivances that now form parts of our social system were known; and the table of contents of his two large volumes affords a curious insight to the nature and limited extent of such contrivances as were then considered most important. The introduction into his history of such subjects as canary birds, carp, the adulteration of wine, apothecaries, cock-fighting, ...

Publisher's warning -- This book was originally published in 1914. It does an excellent job of explaining basics of electricity. It is also of historical interest. But electricity can be dangerous. The readily available tools and supplies of today differ from those common at the time this book was written. Before engaging in actual experiments or projects, you should consult an up-to-date guide, and not rely solely on the information you see here. With over 120 illustrations. "A working gu...