Inventions
That Could Have Changed the World...But Didn't!
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
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. Others 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
For every successful invention, there are a lot of near-misses, dozens of which Rhatigan collects in this entertaining sidewise view of history, which includes b&w illustrations from actual patent applications as well as color cartoons from Owsley. Inventions that didn't get off the ground include a parachute coat (the inventor died testing its effectiveness), a bed that ejects its sleeper to wake him or her, a "Portable Baby Cage" that hangs from the outside of a window, and a rocking bathtub ("no matter what the advertisements said, water got everywhere"). Despite cataloguing a great many failures, Rhatigan challenges readers to try their hands at inventing; as Thomas Edison puts it, in one of several featured quotations, "Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." Ages 8 12.
