Smithsonian Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia

Discover the amazing inventions throughout history that have shaped the world as we know it.

This stunning visual guide explores and explains the greatest inventions, ideas, and discoveries throughout the ages, and introduces their inventors. From fire, stone tools, and the wheel to ploughs and paper, discover the first inventions that shaped societies and grew mighty civilizations and empires such as those in ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and ancient China. In the centuries that followed, "Eureka" moments abounded, with James Watt's steam engine during the Industrial Revolution, Henry Ford's car assembly line at the start of the 20th century, the Wright brothers' flying machines, Thomas Edison's light bulb, John Logie Baird's television, and so much more. Read about era-defining moments during the Digital Revolution, such as the first website developed by Tim Berners-Lee, and the growth in the use of robotics in industry and at home. Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia reveals the stories behind the crucial and quirky contraptions - products of the world's most brilliant minds.