Presents the stories behind forty things that were invented or named by accident, including aspirin, X-rays, frisbees, silly putty, and velcro.

A twelve-year-old boy, worried that his parents may divorce, discovers that an island in the middle of the lake where he is spending the summer is the testing grounds of the mysterious Dr. Libris, who may have invented a way to make the characters in books come alive.

"The United States is in the grip of a crisis of bad history. Inaccurate interpretations and outright misrepresentations of the past--cultivated within and promoted by the conservative movement and right-wing media over the last several decades-hold sway among large numbers of Americans, damaging our public discourse. In Myth America, historians Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer have assembled an all-star team of historians to provide textured analysis...

When ten-year-old Andrew invents a shrinking machine, he does not expect to be sucked into the machine along with his cousin Judy, only to end up in a dog's nose.

We take thousands of inventions for granted, using them daily and enjoying their benefits. But how much do we really know about their origins and development? This absorbing new book tells the stories behind the inventions that have changed the world.

When Rosie is unable to invent a contraption to help one of Aunt Rose's Raucous Riveters friends, she calls on classmates Iggy Peck and Ada Twist to help.

From the Publisher: A remarkable compendium of wild schemes, mad plans, crazy inventions, and truly glorious disasters. Every phenomenally bad idea seemed like a good idea to someone. How else can you explain the Ford Edsel or the sword pistol-absolutely absurd creations that should have never made it off the drawing board? It Looked Good on Paper gathers together the most flawed plans, half-baked ideas, and downright ridiculous machines throughout...

Discusses historic inventions and the inventors who invented them.

More than 450 cross-referenced entries provide information on the contributions of Native Americans to the world in a variety of areas such as medicine, food preservation, military strategy, architecture, science, and government.

Discusses the types of inventions that have been created, providing facts on such technologies as robots, 3-D movies, televisions, air travel, energy sources, telephones, and cameras.