When we think of plastic surgery, vending machines, computers and fast food, many of us assume that they are modern inventions. Amazingly, these were all invented hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago. 
 In What the Past Did for Us, presenter and enthusiast Adam Hart-Davis takes us on a journey into the ancient world, revealing an astonishing array of innovations that occurred long before many of us would ever have thought they had. 
 The Greeks are well-known for inventing the Olympics, but only a few of us are aware that they were responsible for building the first known computer, around 100 BC. The Romans-famous for their road building-also gave us double glazing and central heating. All in all we owe a huge debt to the ancients-from the Chinese who invented paper money and the wheelbarrow, to the early Britons who developed the first housing estate at Skara Brae, home to the world's oldest known lavatories. 
 Based on the television series What the Past Did for Us, this book will change the way that we look at the everyday inventions we take for granted and until now thought were from the modern age.

What the Past Did for Us: A Brief History of Ancient Monuments

HART-DAVIS, Adam

Science & Math

BBC Publications

Published to coincide with a BBC series of the same name, this book is a practical guide to 50 scientific experiments. All offer an insight into inventions of the modern world, from a balloon powered boat to a fax machine.

Local Heroes Do-it-yourself Science

Engineering & Transportation

Bader, Paul

Engineering

BBC Books

Scientific eye

Biographies & Memoirs

Bell Hyman

The Local Heroes: Book of British Ingenuity

History

Sutton Pub Ltd

Based on the British television series, Local Heroes this slim volume tells the stories of 54 British pioneers of science, invention, and technology, loosely grouped in themes. Some are famous and some are not and their creations cover such fields as mechanisms, food and drink, transportation, building, and communications. Illustrated with b&amp;w drawings and photos. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Local Heroes

Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone Lighthouse

On 26 November 1703, during the worst storm that Britain had ever seen, Henry Winstanley died in his pioneering lighthouse as it was blown apart. He had defied incredible odds to build the first Eddystone Lighthouse in 1698, saving the lives of many sailors from the fate of the thousands who previously died upon the rocks. The Great Gale not only destroyed the man and his lighthouse, but also saw complete devastation throughout the land. And at sea, some 8000 sailors were drowned that night, within yards of the land. Winstanley was an ingenious man. He owned a house of gadgets which was one of London's foremost attractions for decades. In 1695, two of his five ships were lost on Eddystone. He was determined that no more ships should founder and, though thwarted by weather and politics, he built a lighthouse, the first of its kind. It survived terrible winters and withstood devastating storms, guiding ships away from the treacherous rocks that lay ahead with its dim candlelight. After the great storm it was as if the lighthouse had never been. Ultimately, Winstanley's lighthouse led to the building of others on the Eddystone rocks and beyond, thus transforming the safety of shipping. This illustrated work vividly recreates the story of the Eddystone Lighthouse, the character of the man who built it with grim determination fighting against all odds, and the power of the elements that finally destroyed them both.

Troscianko, Emily

Arts & Literature

The Victorian era was a time of extraordinary prosperity and development in Britain. Britian was a world leader in steam engines, iron and steel production, cotton and woollen mills and international trade; an explosion of power and pride that was celebrated in the Great Exhibition of 1851. In this book, Adam Hart-Davis celebrates Victorian achievements and shows that we still live in a Victorian world.

What the Victorians Did for Us

Europe

Headline Book Pub Ltd

When Victoria came to the throne in 1837, Britain was on the brink of world supremacy in the production of iron, steel, and steam engines, and had seen an explosion of growth and developments that included railways, the electric telegraph, and wool production. The tremendous feeling of national pride was celebrated in the Great Exhibition of 1851. Drawing on his consummate skill as a storyteller, Adam Hart–Davis shows how Victorian movers and shakers changed our world.

Headline Book Publishing

Homo sapiens have remained the same species, largely unchanged in genetic makeup and anatomy since the Cro-Magnon era. By contrast, the cultural, social, and technological changes since then have been nothing less than extraordinary. Telling our story, from prehistory to the present day, DK's History is a thought-provoking journey, revealing the common threads and forces that have shaped human history. 
Includes: <ul>
<li>Inventions, discoveries, and ideas that have shaped world history</li> <li>A look at human achievement through artifacts, painting, sculpture, and architecture</li> <li>An examination of humankind in context as part of the natural world</li> <li>Eyewitness accounts and biographies of key figures</li> <li>A comprehensive timeline chronicling the key events of the countries of the world</li> </ul>

History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn of Civilization To The Present Day)

World

Homo sapiens have remained the same species, largely unchanged in genetic makeup and anatomy since the Cro-Magnon era. By contrast, the cultural, social, and technological changes since then have been nothing less than extraordinary. Telling our story, from prehistory to the present day, DK's History is a thought-provoking journey, revealing the common threads and forces that have shaped human history. Includes: Inventions, discoveries, and ideas that have shaped world history A look at human achievement through artifacts, painting, sculpture, and architecture An examination of humankind in context as part of the natural world Eyewitness accounts and biographies of key figures A comprehensive timeline chronicling the key events of the countries of the world

History The Definitive Visual Guide: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by HART-DAVIS, Adam. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by HART-DAVIS, Adam

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by HART-DAVIS, Adam. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

What the Past Did for Us: A Brief History of Ancient Monuments

Local Heroes Do-it-yourself Science

Scientific eye

The Local Heroes: Book of British Ingenuity

Local Heroes

Henry Winstanley and the Eddystone Lighthouse

What the Victorians Did for Us

What the Victorians Did for Us

History: The Definitive Visual Guide (From The Dawn of Civilization To The Present Day)

History The Definitive Visual Guide: From the Dawn of Civilization to the Present Day