This one-volume reference work provides a wide-ranging overview of the inventions and scientific discoveries that have most shaped human life.

All the milestones in human ingenuity - from the discovery of fire to the invention of the microwave oven This Scientific American reference book is essential for anyone who wants to get a handle on the history of technology. More than 400 engagingly written entries explain the details and significance of each breakthrough, and numerous primary source sidebars add depth and immediacy. Divided into six chronological sections from early human history to the present and featuring scores of illustrations, this is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in history or technology. Rodney Carlisle, PhD, Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University, is the author of Encyclopedia of the Atomic Age and several works on the history of technology. Scientific American is the world's most prestigious science and technology magazine and has more than 3 million readers worldwide. Its books include Scientific American Science Desk Reference (0-471-35675-1).

Acknowledgments.
General Introduction.
Part I. The Ancient World Through Classical Antiquity, 8000 B.C. to A.D. 330.
Part II. The Middle Ages Through 1599.
Part III. The Age of Scientific Revolution, 1600 to 1790.
Part IV. The Industrial Revolution, 1791 to 1890.
Part V. The Electrical Age, 1891 to 1934.
Part VI. The Atomic and Electronic Age, 1935 into the 21 st
Century.
Index.