Great Inventors and Their Inventions

Beginning with the steam engine (James Watt) and ending with the submarine (invented by John Holland), Great Inventors and their Inventions gives a fascinating account of the inventors--and their inventions--that dramatically impacted our lives today. In between Watt and Holland readers will find the story of Robert Fulton and the invention of steamboats, George Stephenson and the locomotive, the further inventions of electric locomotives and spinning machines, Eli Whitney and the invention of the cotton gin, Elias Howe and the sewing machine, Cyrus McCormick and the reaper, Henry Bessemer and his impact on the steel industry, John Gutenberg and the printing press, Samuel Morse (telegraph) and Alexander Graham Bell (telephone). Chapters on Thomas Edison and his many inventions, the Wright brothers (airplanes), and Marconi (wireless signals). The anecdotes and personal stories of the inventors make this book especially interesting. Readers will be inspired by the tenacity and dedication demonstrated by so many in developing their "high tech" (for that day) devices. Some of the inventors cashed in and became very rich. Others we taken advantage of or never experienced the fame or fortune that should have been theirs. But all set the stage, in various ways, for technology as we know it today. Though written early in the 20th century, this book remains a page-turner for home schoolers, history buffs, or anyone interested in the beginnings the industrial revolution and technical advancement.