Synopses & Reviews
The world at the turn of the twentieth century was in the throes of "Marconi-mania"brought on by an incredible invention that no one could quite explain, and by a dapper and eccentric figure (who would one day win the newly minted Nobel Prize) at the center of it all.
At a time when the telephone, telegraph, and electricity made the whole world wonder just what science would think of next, the startling answer had come in 1896 in the form of two mysterious wooden boxes containing a device one Guglielmo Marconi had rigged up to transmit messages "through the ether." It was the birth of the radio, and no scientist in Europe or America, not even Marconi himself, could at first explain how it workedit just did. And no one knew how far these radio waves could travel, until 1903, when a message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the king of England flashed from Cape Cod to Cornwall clear across the Atlantic.
Here is a rich portrait of the man and his era-and a captivating tale of science and scientists, business and businessmen. There are stories of British blowhards, American con artistsand Marconi himself: a character par excellence, who eventually winds up a virtual prisoner of his worldwide fame and fortune.
Review
"Offers a bright portrait of Marconi...Pleasant reading for students of technological history." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"A great read about one of the greatest amateur inventors of all time." Columbus Dispatch
Review
"The excitement of these early days of radio is wonderfully caught...excellent reading...often hard to put down." Boston Globe
Synopsis
The story of the birth of radio and the amateur inventor whose genius sparked a revolution.
Synopsis
Tracing the long pre-history of five twentieth-century inventions which have transformed our lives, Gavin Weightman reveals a fantastic cast of scientists and inspired amateurs whose ingenuity has given us the airplane, television, bar code, personal computer, and mobile phone. Not one of these inventions can be attributed to a lone genius who experiences a moment of inspiration. Nearly all innovations exist in the imagination before they are finally made to work by the hard graft of inventors who draw on the discoveries of others.
and#160;
While the discoveries of scientists have provided vital knowledge which has made innovation possible, it is a revelation of Weightmanandrsquo;s study that it is more often than not the amateur who enjoys the andldquo;eureka momentandrdquo; when an invention works for the first time. Filled with fascinating stories of struggle, rivalry, and the ingenuity of both famous inventors and hundreds of forgotten people, Weightmanandrsquo;s captivating work is a triumph of storytelling that offers a fresh take on the making of our modern world.
Synopsis
This witty and inspiring book chronicles the long history of discovery and ingenuity which gave rise to a andldquo;eureka momentandrdquo; when a dream of invention became a reality for the first time
About the Author
Gavin Weightman is a journalist, historian, and former documentary filmmaker. He has published more than twenty books, including The Frozen Water Trade: A True Story andand#160;Children of the Light: How Electricity Changed Britain Forever. He lives in London.