They Laughed at Galileo: How the Great Inventors Proved Their Critics Wrong

180 Pages·2015·1.15 MB·English

by  Albert Jack

Albert Jack is an English writer and historian who became something of a
publishing phenomenon in 2004 when his first book Red Herrings and White
Elephants, which explored the origins of well-known phrases in the English
language, became a huge international bestseller. His other successful titles
include Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep, Phantom Hitchhikers, Loch Ness Monsters
and Raining Frogs, Pop Goes the Weasel and What Caesar Did for My Salad.

First published in 2015 in the UK by Constable,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd This edition published in 2015 by Skyhorse Publishing Copyright
© Albert Jack, 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Cover design by Rain Saukas
Cover illustration credit by Thinkstock Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-758-1
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220236-9
Printed and bound in the UK
This book is for Colin Willmott in Woking, England. He taught me to
understand that anything is possible and never to believe you are not good
enough to make a difference. I think that is what this book is all about (and
perhaps my career).
Thanks Dad
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Robert Smith and Hugh Barker for helping to bring this
project together and the following team at Constable & Robinson for actually
making it happen: Rod Green, Dominic Wakeford, Howard Watson and Clive
Hebard.
Last, but who should be first, Geodey Weisner who, in conversation,
unwittingly came up with the idea in the first place. If you don’t like the book
then it is his fault.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Science and Technology
The Radio
The Telescope—and Why They Laughed at Galileo
Air Conditioning: The King of Cool
The Robotic Arm
The X-ray Is a Hoax
The Telephone Is a Meaningless Toy
Computers—Who Needs Them?
The Jet Engine
Satellite Communications
Microwave Ovens
The Fireman’s Safety Hood
The Parachute
Ancient Inventions We Still Use Everyday
Archimedes (287–212 BC)
Hoisted by Their Own Petard: Inventors Killed by Their Creations
Food
The Potato
Worcestershire Sauce: Who were Mr Lea and Mr Perrins?
Who Is on the Menu? (Culinary Inventions)
Popular Culture
The Hula Hoop
The Record Executive Who Might Have Kicked Himself to Death
That’s a Terrible Idea for a Book
More Authors Who Suffered Brutal Rejections
Superstars Who Were Told Not to Give Up Their Day Jobs
Monopoly
The Pet Rock
Billy Bob’s Teeth
The Grand Canyon
The Yo-yo
Blockbuster Films Initially Rejected as Terrible Ideas
Glorious Failures
Thomas Edison
Sigmund Freud
Winston Churchill
Abraham Lincoln
Socrates
Henry Ford
Walt Disney
Frederick W. Smith
Frank Winfield Woolworth
Business and Industry
Crude Oil
Clinton’s Ditch
Unzipped—The True Story of the Zipper
The Bra
It Was a Close Shave
Kitty Litter
Ballpoint Pen? What’s That, Then?
The Railway Networks
The Horseless Carriage
Velcro
E-commerce—The World at Your Fingertips
The Post-it Note—The Accidental Billion-Dollar Invention
Vulcanized Rubber: Charles Goodyear
Black & Decker Workmate—‘You Will Sell about a Dozen of Those’
The Barcode
The Tin Can
Going Underground—You Want to Run Steam Trains Where?
Accidental Inventions
Saccharin
Popsicles
Viagra
Coca-Cola
The Hamburger: From a German Snack to American Icon
Safety Glass
Penicillin
Suppressed Inventions: True or Urban Legend?
The Rifle Beam
The Light Bulb
Cold Fusion
The Chronovisor
Wardenclyffe Tower
The Cloudbuster
The Anti-Gravity Device
The EV1
The Water Fuel Cell
The Implosion Generator
Project XA
Ridiculous Inventions You Wish You Had Invented
Spanx
The Snuggie
The Plastic Wishbone
The HeadOn
Billy Big Mouth Bass
The Beanie Baby
Tamagochi
iFart
Yellow Smiley Faces
The Wacky Wall Walker
The Slinky
The Million-Dollar Homepage
Eponymous Inventions
Maxim Gun
The Leotard
The Jacuzzi
The Guillotine
The Davy Lamp
Shrapnel: Maximum Damage