Encyclopedia of Ideas That Changed the World

by Ingpen, Robert R.; Wilkinson, Philip

• ISBN13: 9780670846429
• ISBN10: 0670846422
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1993-10-01
• Publisher: Studio

Summary

Traces the history of human civilization through the impact of humankind's most influential ideas, starting with basic ideas such as art and toolmaking and moving on to discuss modern developments.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 6
Time-line of ideas	p. 8
The First Inventions	p. 10
Early tools	p. 12
Making fire	p. 18
Ritual and ceremony	p. 20
Art	p. 22
Improving Man's Chances of Survival	p. 27
Early farming	p. 28
The plough	p. 34
Scientific agriculture	p. 38
Basic shelter	p. 44
Stone and concrete construction	p. 48
Vaults and domes	p. 54
Metal in building construction	p. 60
Early medicine	p. 66
Vaccination	p. 70
Advances in medicine	p. 72
Production Lines	p. 80
Hand tools	p. 82
Simple machines	p. 86
Machine tools	p. 92
Mass production	p. 94
Utilizing the Earth's Resources	p. 100
Natural power	p. 102
The steam engine	p. 108
Electricity and the battery	p. 112
Internal combustion	p. 118
The jet engine	p. 122
Rockets	p. 126
Nuclear power	p. 128
Using Natural and Artificial Materials	p. 130
Pottery and glass	p. 132
Working in metal	p. 138
Plastics	p. 144
Shrinking the World	p. 150
Boats and rafts	p. 152
The compass	p. 156
The wheel	p. 158
Roads and railways	p. 164
Flight	p. 172
Scripts and alphabets	p. 178
The book	p. 184
Optical inventions	p. 190
Remote communications	p. 194
Sound recording	p. 198
Moving images	p. 200
Computers	p. 206
Epilogue	p. 214
Bibliography	p. 218
Index	p. 221
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.