The Greatest Science Stories Never Told: 100 tales of invention and discovery to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy (The Greatest Stories Never Told)

I've loved all the books in Rick Beyer's "Greatest Stories...." series, but I have a special fondness for this one. I grew up in a scientific household (physicist Dad, chemist Mom) and have always been fascinated by science stories. This book tells one hundred short stories about science--mostly about the practical side of science as manifested in inventions. It runs from Archimedes' "Eureka" moment in 265 BC up to private space travel in the 21st century. In between it touches on inventors and scientists you've heard of (Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein), inventors you've never heard of, and famous folks who also happened to invent things (like Abe Lincoln and Mark Twain). Many inventors worked doggedly at their ideas for decades, and died without recognition. Others invented things by accident. Still others invented things that couldn't be made practical until many years later. But you'll enjoy reading every one of their stories! Beyer writes in a comfortable and witty style, and his tales are meticulously researched. Buy two--one to keep and one to give away!

This book is a square-shaped hardcover that reads like it was meant to be in front of the toilet or perhaps in a middle school or elementary school. It reminds me of all the books I read at that age that didn't go into ANY depth about the stories they were telling, leaving you with a vast confused feeling that there should have been more space devoted to each story and less stories or more pages in the book.The layout is in chronological order and each 2-page spread highlights a famous person. There is a very brief text on the left, and pictures with blurb tidbits on the right. So they'll say something like (to paraphrase) "Abe Lincoln developed a way to float barges across sandbars. He is the only president to hold a patent. Many engineers probably invented better ways, but could they have been successful presidents?" It doesn't say how his idea worked or how those "other engineers" could have improved the idea. Instead, it gives you an annoying thumbnail of Lincoln's sketch that is too small to make out and tells you something about how he liked to wear big stovepipe hats and store papers in it.I am disappointed with this book. Each story has the potential to be so interesting and informative, but instead you don't really learn anything from this book because of the scanty 3 paragraphs alotted for each.

I’ve purchased several books in this line and have been pleased with each of them. These are concise, informative vignettes on historical events, so do not expect exhaustive details. They may however inspire you to continue reading on a topic elsewhere. Easy to pick up and put down when you have a few moments to spare.

Ever wonder what happened to Einstein's eyeballs? OK, maybe not, but I'll bet you're curious now, aren't you? Beyer's book is full of fun and weird stories about the first computer bug (yes, there was an actual bug), the inventors of Kitty Litter and the Erector Set, and yes, the fate of Einstein's brain and eyeballs. Who knew that the first computer mouse was made with a roller ball from Ban deodorant? Not me, which is why I found this book impossible to put down. Reading it was like eating a box of candy - I kept saying, "OK just one more," until it was done. This book is the perfect gift for the science, technology and invention buffs on your list. Kudos to Beyer for a job well done.

I love reading Uncle John's Bathroom Readers and these books are pretty close to being like those. The stories are not long, but then who needs a brain overload on everything. You get enough, two pages cover the one topic before moving to the next item. Some stories, you may find yourself wanting to look up more info. And yes, you can find some information that may differ elsewhere, but you can do that every time you use wikipedia.

The book was interesting and in wonderful condition. I have read and enjoyed the entire series.

When a writer glorifies Edison you know you have a problem. If you don't get that, then do a quick research project on Thomas Edison (he didn't have a clue on the light bulb!). With that said, there are some cool things in the book. It is VERY shallow, however. Wikipedia is probably a better option...

Duplicates stories from other Greatest Stories books

its interesting

Good

Very nice book, I bought the whole series