Henry Ford invented the automobile. The first video game was created in a science research lab. A melted candy bar inspired the invention of microwave ovens. You may have heard these beliefs before. But are they really true? Can they be proven through research? Let's investigate seventeen statements about inventions and find out which ones are right, which ones are wrong, and which ones still stump the experts! Find out whether Alexander Graham Bell...

"Humans are ingenious when it comes to meeting challenges. We invent all sorts of useful contraptions from the wheel to the can opener. But some of the things people have come up with are truly odd. Who came up with grass sandals, and why? Have you ever heard of a portable radio hat? Not many people have, but someone invented it. Get the inside scoop on these odd contraptions and many more weird inventions"--

Presents readers with the most important inventions in history, from the wheel to the Internet. The book features historic photos, engaging sidebars, and thought-provoking prompts.

Ethan Cheeseman and his children, ages eight, twelve, and fourteen, hope to settle in a nice small town, at least long enough to complete work on a time machine, but spies and government agents have been pursuing them for two years and are about to catch up.

Describes the creation of a variety of toys and games, from seesaws to Silly Putty and toy soldiers to Trivial Pursuit.

A twelve-year-old boy, worried that his parents may divorce, discovers that an island in the middle of the lake where he is spending the summer is the testing grounds of the mysterious Dr. Libris, who may have invented a way to make the characters in books come alive.

"Luthor the Doberman, a former attack dog, has a good home with Savannah Drysdale, but every time a certain truck passes he goes into a frenzy, while Griffin Bing is caught up in trying to beat his rival, Darren Vader, at an invention contest."--Provided by OCLC.

"From the New York Times-bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad Is Good for You, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas. In this illustrated volume, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences....

In today's fast-paced society, it seems like information moves at the speed of light. More than just a social networking tool, Twitter has been a transformational platform in the worlds of communication, news, and socializing. From activists in Iran to presidents of the United States, Twitter is now an invaluable medium for sharing information. In this book, readers will be transported into a world that may be hard to imagine, one before Twitter....

The noses of bullet trains in Japan are shaped like kingfisher beaks. They help the train move both quietly and efficiently when traveling at high speeds. Find out more in Transportation Technology, a title in the Designed by Nature series.Designed by Nature is a series of AV2 media enhanced books. A unique book code printed on page 2 unlocks multimedia content. These books come alive with video, audio, weblinks, slideshows, activities, hands-on experiments,...