Inventions: A Visual Encyclopedia

Gr 4–6—This panoramic view of significant inventions covers everything from a 1.5 million–year–old hand ax to futuristic Masdar City, a carbon footprint–free metropolis in the United Arab Emirates, scheduled to be completed in 2030. Grouped several per page and more or less chronologically within seven color-coded categories such as "space," "communication," and "at home," entries each include a color photo or historical image; name, date, and country of origin (where known); and a brief description. Along with occasional side boxes and time lines, select figures (polymath Zhang Heng; computer visionary Ada Lovelace) earn closer looks. Several dozen additional profiles of other inventors are gathered together in a closing section. Occasional nods to bubble gum and breakfast cereal, the bra, traveler's checks, the sandwich, and similar sidelights jazz up the parade of technological marvels.