Book Summary
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Most discoveries become imaginable at a very specific moment in history, after which point multiple people start to imagine them.
How We Got to Now
A fascinating look at the power and legacy of great ideas from the New York Times bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad Is Good for You. Steven Johnson traces the history of innovation across centuries in this illustrated history, following features of contemporary life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to mention a few) from their invention by enthusiasts, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to its unexpected historical implications. How We Got to Now delves into the hidden history behind ordinary things of modern life, from the French publisher who built the phonograph before Edison but failed to include playback to the Hollywood movie star who helped design the technology underlying Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Johnson examines unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated fields in his trademark style, such as how the invention of air conditioning enabled the largest human migration in history—to cities like Dubai or Phoenix, which would otherwise be uninhabitable; how pendulum clocks helped trigger the industrial revolution; and how clean water made it possible to manufacture computer chips. How We Got to Now is the narrative of collaborative networks that built the modern world, and it's accompanied by a major six-part television series on PBS. It's written in Johnson's provocative, educational, and fascinating manner, which has gained him followers all over the world.
Most discoveries become imaginable at a very specific moment in history, after which point multiple people start to imagine them.
