The author of this book has ranked what he views as the greatest one hundred inventions of all time, “greatest” meaning those inventions that have made the most significant impact on humanity through history. Also, only inventions that he feels were truly invented and not “discovered” like plastic and penicillin are included. The history of each invention is shared in a knowledgeable but readable style, and most of the stories are accompanied by a black and white photo, line drawing, or patent illustration. Between two and four pages are devoted to each invention. These pages tell of the earliest known invention of the object, how the invention worked, improvements made over the years, who was involved in the process, and the journey of the individual credited with the invention. The top ten list of inventions includes the wheel, light bulb, printing press, telephone, television, radio, gunpowder, desktop computer, telegraph, and internal combustion engine. Other inventions included in the book are eyeglasses, plumbing, airplanes, anesthesia, batteries, clocks, Braille, microscopes, air conditioning, MRI’s, pacemakers, sewing machines, calculators, flashlights, the cotton gin, washing machines, fire extinguishers, and video recorders. Fascinating and readable, this book will provide valuable material for research papers, essays, or unit studies. - Melissa