Stand on the shoulders of giants and discover the real stories behind many of the most cherished "facts" in science history

Forget everything you learned in school. Abandon the sound-bitten histories of textbooks. Disregard the articles you read in your favorite magazines. The history of science is riddled with errors and misconceptions. Facts have been whitewashed by narcissism and nationalism. Brilliant scientists, burdened by procrastination, have practically handed credit for their discoveries over to their more ambitious nemeses. In Everything's Relative, Tony Rothman debunks centuries of commonly held beliefs to reveal the real truths behind the greatest moments in science.

From Einstein's possible misunderstanding of his own theories to actress Hedy Lemarr's role in the invention of the radio-controlled torpedo. Everything's Relative barrels through centuries of legends to reveal the even more fascinating stories behind some of the most important breakthroughs in science.

Some of the surprising truths revealed include: Henry Young, the American inventor, discovered radio waves a full half-century before Heinrich Hertz. Abel Niepce de Saint Victor discovered radioactivity forty years before Henri Becquerel. That cotton gin existed in India and Asia long before Eli Whitney claimed to have invented it. Thomas Edison did not invent the first incandescent bulb; he invented the first practical one. The Koreans invented moveable type half a century before Johannes Gutenberg.

Writing for a general audience, Rothman takes a look at the process of scientific discovery, recounting historical anecdotes related to the competing claims over the invention of the radio, the extent to which Einstein's relativity was based on the work of others, and the possibility that Gregor Mendel's contributions to the science of genetics was based on numbers fudged by one of his assistants. The purpose of the 19 anecdotes seems to be to undermine the master narrative of scientific advancement, showing how much the works of the great scientists are based on the works of others, social realities, and sometimes pure chance.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Tony Rothman, PhD (Bryn Mawr, PA), is a Research Associate at Bryn Mawr College. He is the author of seven other critically acclaimed science books and a frequent contributor to leading science publications, including Scientific American and Discover.

The surprising truth behind many of the most cherished facts in science history

Morse invented the telegraph, Bell the telephone, Edison the light bulb, and Marconi the radio . . . right? Well . . . the truth is slightly more complicated. The history of science and technology is riddled with apocrypha, inaccuracies, and falsehoods, and physicist Tony Rothman has taken it upon himself to throw a monkey wrench into the works. Combining a storyteller's gifts with a scientist's focus and hardheaded devotion to the facts-such as they may be-Rothman breaks down many of the most famous just-so stories of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and technology to give credit where credit is truly due. From Einstein's possible misunderstanding of his own theories to actress Hedy Lemarr's role in the invention of the radio-controlled torpedo, he dredges his way through the legends of science history in relating the fascinating stories behind some of the most important, and often unsung, breakthroughs in science.

Tony Rothman, PhD (Bryn Mawr, PA), is a Research Associate at Bryn Mawr College. He is the author of seven other critically acclaimed science books and a frequent contributor to leading science publications, including Scientific American and Discover.