A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements That Transformed Our Lives.

GEORGE CONSTABLE AND BOB SOMERVILLE

During the past 100 years, society has been transformed by the efforts and magnificent accomplishments of engineers. The National Academy of Engineering celebrates feats such as electricity, the automobile, radio, television, and computers in this oversized, brilliantly illustrated retrospective. From the first flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk to the birth of the Internet, readers learn the story behind each great achievement and the impact these things have on our lives today. For example, the harnessing of electricity facilitated 10 or so other accomplishments on this list and spurred economic development of both farm communities and cities across the United states. The section devoted to this topic discusses various methods for generating electricity and illustrates how electricity is distributed. Diagrams appear throughout the book, as do time lines tracking development of each engineering achievement discussed. Joseph Henry Pr, 2003, 248 p., color/b&w photos/illus., Hardcover, $45.00.