Small Inventions That Made a Big Difference
Published on 19. August 2021
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-78739-787-3 (ISBN)
Description
Pockets, matches, spectacles, postage stamps.
Whether it's the stitches that hold our clothes together or the syringes that deliver life-saving vaccines, small things really do make a big difference. Yet these modest but essential components of everyday life are often overlooked.
Science and comedy writer Helen Pilcher shares the unexpected stories of 50 humble innovations - from the accidental soldering of two bits of metal that created the pacemaker, to the eighteenth-century sea captain whose ingenious invention paved the way for the filming of Star Wars - and celebrates the joy of the small yet mighty.
Whether it's the stitches that hold our clothes together or the syringes that deliver life-saving vaccines, small things really do make a big difference. Yet these modest but essential components of everyday life are often overlooked.
Science and comedy writer Helen Pilcher shares the unexpected stories of 50 humble innovations - from the accidental soldering of two bits of metal that created the pacemaker, to the eighteenth-century sea captain whose ingenious invention paved the way for the filming of Star Wars - and celebrates the joy of the small yet mighty.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
50 b&w illus
Dimensions
Height: 221 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
462 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78739-787-3 (9781787397873)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Helen Pilcher
Small Inventions That Made a Big Difference
E-Book
08/2021
Welbeck
€2.99
Available for download
Person
Helen Pilcher is a tea-drinking, biscuit-nibbling science and comedy writer with a PhD in Neuroscience. Her recent popular science book, Life Changing - How Humans are Altering Life on Earth, was shortlisted for the 2020 Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation. Her debut book, Bring Back the King: the New Science of De-extinction, was selected as a BBC Radio 2 Fact Not Fiction Book Choice. It was described by comedian Sara Pascoe as 'science at its funniest'.
Content
Pigment * flint (firestarter) * sewing needle * fish-hook * gnomon * brick * stirrup * pencil * tin cans * postage stamp * ball bearings * mail order catalogue * paperclip * safety pin * safety match * spark plug * zip * credit card * Velcro * tampon * teabag * button * toilet paper * condom * deodorant * sliced bread * keys * Penicillin * Post-it notes * and more.