Reading rank 190
A History of Great Inventions
, subject: Major human inventions across history, 2001
A History of Great Inventions pairs a case for studying earlier ideas with a title that claims to be one account, not the definitive one.
83
Coverage Score
6
Scored evidence
About the book
Edited by Robert Uhlig, this illustrated reference follows important inventions across eras and explains how they changed everyday life and industry.
Why read it
Best if you want to build working knowledge from earlier ideas while keeping your own view of what they mean.
Key themes
- Earlier ideas as working knowledge
- Why the title says “A,” not “The”
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #163, #200, #205, #400
This record is supported by 7 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Alfred Nobel — David says he recorded a third Founders Postscript episode based on this James Dyson book.
- James Dyson (Against the Odds) — David introduces the appended bonus segment as being devoted to A History of Great Inventions.
- James Dyson (Invention: A Life) — David connects this Dyson book to material he used in a bonus segment of Founders episode 200.
- The Stubborn Genius of James Dyson — David draws a lesson about individuality from the deliberate choice of 'A' rather than 'The' in the book's title.