Twin Tracks The Unexpected Origins of the Modern World

by Burke, James

• ISBN13: 9780743258104
• ISBN10: 074325810X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-01-26
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

Twin Tracksis a landmark book of real-world stories that investigates the nature of change and divines as never before the unlikely origins of many aspects of contemporary life. In each of the work's twenty-five narratives, we discover how the different outcomes of an important historical event in the past often come together again in the future.Each chapter starts with an event -- such as the U.S. attack on Tripoli in 1804 -- that generates two divergent series of consequences. After tracking each pathway as it ranges far and wide through time and space, Burke shows how the paths finally and unexpectedly converge in the modern world.Twin Trackspinpoints the myriad ways the future is shaped, whether by love, war, accident, genius, or discovery. For instance, in"The Marriage of Figaroto Stealth Fighter," Burke's twin tracks start with the composer of the opera and the French spy from whose play he stole the plot. The tracks then encompass, among other things, freemasonry, the War of Independence, Captain Cook, jellyfish, Jane Austen, and audio tape. Ultimately, the convergence of the two Figaro tracks sets the stage for the development of Gulf War Stealth aircraft.Wonderfully accessible and lucidly written,Twin Tracksoffers an amusing and instructive new view of the past and the future.

Author Biography

James Burke is the author of several bestselling books, including Circles, American Connections, and The Knowledge Web. He is a monthly columnist at Scientific American and also serves as director, writer, and host of the television series Connections 3 on The Learning Channel. He is the founder of the James Burke Institute for Innovation in Education, whose flagship project, the Knowledge Web, an interactive website, was recently launched. He lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction

How to Read This Book

1804: Attack on Tripoli to Fish Sticks

1760: Fake Epic to Organ Transplants

1805: Battle of Trafalgar to Laser

1726: Encyclopedia to Vitamins

1792: Juniper Hall to Jet Aircraft

1750: Smallpox to Big Bang

1784: Sanskrit to Cybernetics

1610: Santa Catharina to Spectroscopy

1686: Political Jingle to Nylon

1703: Kit-Kat Club to Sunglasses

1770: Falklands War to Television

1724: Stone Age Boy to Photocopier

1745: Leyden Jar to Clingwrap

1790: Philadelphia General Advertiser to Chemotherapy

1664: Lens Grinder to Hairdressing

1773: Boston Tea Party to Contact Lenses

1742: Bow Street, London, to Bar Code

1739: The Grand Tour to Liquid Crystal Display

1795: Man in the Iron Mask to Hovercraft

1673: Siege of Maastricht to Vending Machines

1786: The Marriage of Figaro to Stealth Fighter

1780: Edinburgh Oyster Club to DNA

1770: Church Sermon to Helicopter

1771: Pottery to Neon Signs

1676: Theology to Skyscraper

Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.