Inventions: That Could Have Changed the World...But Didn't! - Hardcover

Rhatigan, Joe; Owsley, Anthony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1623540240 ISBN 13: 9781623540241

Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2015

Synopsis

The fascinating stories of inventions that could have changed the world, should have made a difference, or would have astounded us all, but for one reason or another, didn’t. Some inventions were too wacky, weird, or unwieldy. Other simply didn’t work. And still others may be the next big thing . . . some day. Learn about the inventors, what they thought they would accomplish, and what--if anything--they did accomplish. Zany illustrations of the contraptions in use throughout.

About this title

About the Author

Joe Rhatigan is a well-respected editor and author, and has written many bestselling books, including the acclaimed White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems and Pratfalls of the Presidents' Children, People You Gotta Meet Before You Grow Up, Don't Unravel When You Travel, and many more. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Reviews

Gr 3–6—Opening with a discussion of inventions that weren't as effective as promised, Rhatigan examines these, seeing them as steps toward innovations that did work—an important lesson for students. The inclusion of actual patent drawings offers insight into the patent process as well as humorous commentary. Readers will enjoy the wide variety of craziness, organized to show that mixed among the many unknown inventors are famous names such as Thomas Edison and Buckminster Fuller, who each had their share of unsuccessful projects. A scattering of photos brings a connection to the real world and contrasts dramatically with the abundance of cartoon drawings intended to enhance the absurdity of some inventions. The layout is busy with random splashes of primary colors to distinguish the vignettes. VERDICT This book will be of interest to curious kids with an engineering bent, though it is not an essential purchase.—Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Take a look around you and try to count the number of inventions you see. Everything from the light you’re using to read this book to the machines used to create this book was invented by someone who saw a problem and found a creative way to solve it. That’s what inventions are: solutions to problems.
            Some of these solutions have changed the world in fascinating ways. Before lightbulbs, people went to bed when it got dark outside. (There was nothing else to do.) Before the printing press, only a very few people had access to books. The very best inventions make you wonder how people ever lived without them.
            There are a lot of great books about these incredible inventions and the fascinating people who made them. But this book has something else on its mind: What about the inventions that didn’t change the world?
            The world is bursting with ideas. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas are good. For every amazing invention, there are thousands that are never produced, arrive too soon or too late to be of any use, or simply don’t work. Some are too impractical, silly, or unwieldy. Others may be the next big thing . . . someday. In many ways, these flops can be just as fascinating as lightbulbs, cars, computers, and smartphones. Wacky, weird, wonderful, or just plain wrong, these are the inventions included in this book.
            In some sense, you can say this book is about failure, but it’s a kind of failure worth celebrating. The human race can’t move forward without trying and sometimes not succeeding. Without these inventions that didn’t work out, we probably wouldn’t have the ones that did. So this book celebrates the flops and also-rans—the inventions that could have changed the world, should have made a difference, or would have astounded us all, but for one reason or another didn’t.

Edition details

• Publisher: Charlesbridge
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1623540240
• ISBN 13: 9781623540241
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 80