Catalog Search Results
Author
Language
English
Description
Dating from the beginning of historical memory, the obelisks of ancient Egypt-those tall, tapering shafts typically weighing from 200 to 500 tons-were carved from a single block of solid stone to commemorate the ruler of the moment. Many of these ancient monoliths, taken from Egypt as trophies of conquest and symbols of power through the efforts of extraordinary human labor and engineering ingenuity, were re-established in the capitals and seats of...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
Nikola Tesla, a Serbian immigrant, invented the radio, the induction motor, the neon lamp, and the remote control. His breakthrough came in alternating current, the basis of the electric grid and long-distance electrical transmission. This pitted him against Thomas Edison's direct current empire, and bitter patent battles ensued. But Tesla's technology was superior, and eventually he prevailed. Unfortunately, he had no business sense and could not...
Author
Language
English
Description
"The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement--precision--in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future." --Amazon.com.
7) Simply electrifying: the technology that transformed the world, from Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk
Author
Pub. Date
[2017]
Language
English
Author
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
"When Henry Petroski and his wife Catherine bought a charming but modest six-decades-old island retreat in coastal Maine, Petroski couldn't help but admire its unusual construction. An eminent expert on engineering, history, and design, he began wondering about the place's origins and evolution: who built it, and how? What needs, materials, technologies, historical developments, and laws shaped it? How had it fared through the years with its various...
Author
Pub. Date
[2023]
Language
English
Description
"Smil presents the long history and modern infatuation with invention and innovation. Meticulous as always, these vast realms of human ingenuity are organized into sensible categories: inventions that went from welcome to undesirable, inventions that dominate and missed the mark, inventions we still dream about, and lastly, the exaggerations, myths, and wise expectations for innovations we need most"--
Author
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
"Pryor delivers a rigorous account of the nature and history of Stonehenge, but also places the enigmatic monument in a wider cultural context, bringing acute insight into how antiquarians, scholars, writers, artists, and even neopagans, have interpreted the mystery over the centuries."--Front jacket flap.
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"A chilling account of seventy years of nuclear catastrophes, by the author of the "definitive" (Economist) Cold War history, Nuclear Folly. Nuclear energy was embraced across the globe at the height of the nuclear industry in the 1960s and 1970s; today, there are 440 nuclear reactors operating throughout the world, with nuclear power providing 10 percent of world electricity. Yet as the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change,...
Borrow from another library
Didn't find what you need? Items not owned by Darien Library can be requested from other libraries via our interlibrary loan system (ILL).