Inventors Science

Cell phones allowed people to connect on the go, and smartphones have transformed the way we share information. From the earliest landlines to the minicomputers that link people across the world, discover the shifts in phone technology that shaped modern communication—and the people who made them happen. This history also shows the big changes in design, size, and battery life that took place before mobile phones hit the center of popular culture.

Video games evolved over decades from simple consoles to cutting-edge entertainment in homes and arcades. In the twenty-first century, they've also become some of the world's most popular apps. Find out more about the technological innovations, major players, and controversies that have made video game history. And from the role of game cartridges to the power of the internet, learn how new inventions keep taking gaming to the next level.

Alexander Graham Bell est né en Écosse, où il enseigne à parler à des sourds. Son intérêt pour l’enseignement le conduit à développer des outils pour faciliter la communication orale. Après la mort de ses deux frères, il suit ses parents en immigrant à l'Ontario. Il s’installe ensuite à Boston, centre de recherche scientifique très vivant à la fin du 19e siècle. L’invention du téléphone lui assure la gloire et la postérité, mais comme tout grand inventeur, il mènera des recherches dans de nombreux domaines : électricité, médecine, aéronautique.

Sure, almost all kids know Benjamin Franklin as one of America's Founding Fathers, a man with a hand in both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. And they may even have some vague idea that he once flew a kite during a lightning storm. What Kathleen Krull sets out to do in this very different biography is show Ben Franklin as the natural philosopher (the term for scientists back in the 1700s), whose experiments led to important discoveries about the nature of electricity - including his famous demonstration that electricity and lightning were one and the same.

Wilbur and Orville Wright have gone down in history as pioneers of flight and the inventors of the first airplane. This is the story of how their mechanical interest in printing presses and bicycles led them towards finding solutions to the conundrum of flight. Find out how their methodological research and innovative ideas set them apart from other inventors, and learn about the newspaper editors and scientists’ reactions to the Wright brothers’ achievement - the slow transformation of skepticism and disbelief to amazement.

Obsessive, brilliant, and tortured, Nikola Tesla was lauded for his invention of the alternating current (AC) and other significant contributions to science. His claim that “harnessing the forces of nature was the only worthwhile scientific endeavor" both impressed and enraged the scientific community. Eventually his peers could no longer dismiss his eccentricities and began to view him as a crackpot - a potentially dangerous one.

Throughout history, people have experimented, invented, and created new ways of doing things. Kid Innovators tells the stories of a diverse group of brilliant thinkers in fields like technology, education, business, science, art, and entertainment, reminding us that every innovator started out as a kid. Florence Nightingale rescued baby mice, Alan Turing was a daydreamer with terrible handwriting, and Alvin Ailey felt like a failure at sports.

It's another day at the Swift Academy when Tom starts finding little troll-like figures around campus. And he's not the only one. Much to the amusement and curiosity of students, these dolls are appearing all over the school. But even after they're collected by faculty, a second wave mysteriously appears - except these replacements record audio and play it back for surrounding listeners. Before everyone knows it, secrets and gossip are revealed across campus, and suddenly the figures aren't nearly as fun as they used to be.

With his new shadow in tow, Tom expects the night to be uneventful. But when the facility suddenly goes into quarantine mode, the overnight lock-in turns into a building-wide lockdown. Tom and his friends are left trapped in their respective rooms, with no way to communicate the outside world. As they make their way through the facility using methods that are a little more...creative...than normal, Tom and his friends start realizing that there is more to this quarantine than meets the eye. It’s up to them to not only escape, but also find out what - or who - is behind the lockdown.

Tom gets to take all sorts of cool classes at the Swift Academy of Science and Technology, but robotics may be the one he is most excited for. Their teacher is holding a battling robot tournament, and Tom has to build a machine that will come out on top. With the final battle coming up, Tom and his friends need as much time as possible to refine their masterpiece. But the rest of their teachers have been giving so many pop quizzes that they can barely focus in class, never mind concentrate on the tournament.

In the new Mini Movers and Shakers children's book series comes a cast of characters who have failed, yet succeeded despite overwhelming obstacles. In the second volume, we meet Steve Jobs. Find out what happens in this kids book about changing the world. Sometimes, we are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable. But with grit and hard work, one can achieve great things!

Have you ever stared into the night sky, full of stars and planets? As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him. Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. In 1996, he became the director of New York's Hayden Planetarium. He is passionate about teaching people about the universe. Known for making science fun and easy to understand, he has hosted and appeared on TV shows such as Nova ScienceNow and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

How I Met... is a series for young and early listeners and readers about African American inventors, civil rights leaders, black activists and the many major contributors, without much fanfare or glory who helped shape the modern world as we know it. In this audiobook, we acknowledge an African American inventor and pioneer who contributed so much to our society. Lewis Howard Latimer, a brilliant engineer, who has an interesting connection to the origin of the light bulb and telephone.

This audiobook introduces listeners to the science that makes the Internet possible. Accessible text and engaging discussion topics make this short audiobook an exciting introduction to understanding technology.

This audiobook introduces listeners to the science that makes Smartphones possible. Accessible text and engaging discussion topics make this short audiobook an exciting introduction to understanding technology.

Karl is an Abyssinian ground hornbill with a special challenge. His lower bill had broken off and made eating difficult. Karl did a great job of adapting and finding new ways to eat, but he wasn't getting all the food he needed. His zookeepers at the National Zoo and friends at the Smithsonian Institute wanted to help. Could an old bird skeleton and a 3D printer give Karl a new beak? Karl's new adventure was about to begin!

Between the 18th and early 19th centuries, the West experienced massive leaps in technological, scientific, and economical advancement. This powerful period has since been immortalized as the great Industrial Revolution. With Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin near the end of the 18th century. Able to more effectively separate the cotton fiber from seeds, Whitney’s cotton gin turned the cotton industry into one of the antebellum South’s biggest cash cows, and as a result, the region became even more dependent on slave labor than before.

Did you realize that swimming suits used to weigh 22 pounds (about 10 kilograms)? Or that the first people to wear high heels were French royalty (even the king!) in the 1500s? Get ready to learn the amazing stories behind inventions you use every day. From the society woman who invented bras to the Swiss inventor who came up with the idea for Velcro, you'll find out how we got some of our favorite fashion inventions.

Did you know that the world's first submarine traveled the Thames River in England way back in 1615? Or that early cars had three wheels instead of four? Get ready to learn the fascinating stories behind inventions you use every day. From the motorcycle inventor who died while riding his creation, to the engineers who figured out a better way to launch humans into space, you'll find out how we got the transportation inventions that get us where we're going.

Did you know that a scientist discovered X-rays by accident? Or that people have been taking pain medicine for more than 5,000 years? Get ready to learn the strange stories behind inventions you use every day. From the Roman warrior with a famous false hand, to the Boy Scouts who made Band-Aids a big deal, you'll find out how we got the medical wonders that help us heal faster and feel better.