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Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
Riverhead Hardcover
October 2014
On Sale: September 30, 2014
304 pages
ISBN: 1594632960
EAN: 9781594632969
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
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. Filled with surprising stories of accidental genius and
brilliant mistakes—from the French publisher who invented
the phonograph before Edison but forgot to include playback,
to the Hollywood movie star who helped invent the technology
behind Wi-Fi and Bluetooth—How We Got to Now investigates
the secret history behind the everyday objects of
contemporary life. In his trademark style, Johnson examines unexpected
connections between seemingly unrelated fields: how the
invention of air-conditioning enabled the largest migration
of human beings in the history of the species—to cities such
as Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be virtually
uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the
industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible
to manufacture computer chips. Accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS,
How We Got to Now is the story of collaborative networks
building the modern world, written in the provocative,
informative, and engaging style that has earned Johnson fans
around the globe.
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