Includes ten riveting, in-depth biographies in a graphic novel format of legendary inventors, including Galileo, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin and James Watt.

What do donut holes, the Stanley Steamer, a machine gun, the Bean boot and a can opener have in common? All were invented by the feverish minds and ingenuity of Mainers in the aftermath of the Civil War. In addition to being blessed with good imaginations and an ever-expanding surplus of junk, Mainers also have long, hard winters to tinker and tool, plus an stick-to-itiveness to "get er done." In this delightful, informative compendium of 53 of some...

"In a time when people believed flying was impossible, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier proved that the sky wasn't the limit. When most thought horseback was the only way to race, Bertha and Karl Benz fired up their engines. From the invention of the bicycle and the passenger steam locomotive, to the first liquid-fuel propelled rocket and industrial robot, inventors across the world have redefined travel. Filled with informative sidebars and colorful...

"Discover the hidden figures of food, the women who changed the way we eat. From Julia Child to the inventor of the dishwasher to the suffragette who published cookbooks to finance their fight for justice, these trailblazers used the power of food to break barriers and change the world. Includes 10 recipes." --

"An epic tale of invention, in which ordinary people's lives are changed forever by a quest to engineer a radically new kind of car. In 2007, science-fiction enthusiast Peter Diamandis announced he would give $10 million to anyone who could build a safe, mass-producible car that traveled 100 miles on the energy equivalent of a gallon of gas. The challenge attracted more than 300 teams from all over the world, including dozens of amateurs. This book...

"In the 1760s a group of amateur experimenters met and made friends in the English Midlands. Most came from humble families, all lived far from the center of things, but they were young and their optimism was boundless: together they would change the world. Among them were the ambitious toymaker Matthew Boulton and his partner James Watt, of steam-engine fame; the potter Josiah Wedgwood; and the larger-than-life Erasmus Darwin, physician, poet, inventor,...

"AWESOME ACCIDENTS is a tribute to human trial and error. Microwave oven, Super Glue, X-rays, fireworks, and potato chips -- all of these clever creations were the result of an awesome accident. Discover the fantastic stories of the creative geniuses who transformed their mistakes, miscalculations, and mix-ups into these and many other outstanding inventions that improved our world -- and saved lives."--