Invention and
innovation
Pathfinder
Livonia HS Library
September 2009
Books: a few of the books we have available on this subject. Use the catalog (HS Follett Search, on
your desktops) to find more!
306 Nay
Nayak, P. Ranganath. Breakthroughs! 1st ed. New York: Rawson Associates, c1986. On cover: How the
vision and drive of innovators in sixteen companies created commercial breakthroughs that swept the world.
Based on an international study of innovation.
501 Bro
Bronowski, Jacob, 1908-1974. The Ascent of Man. [1st American ed.]. Boston, Little, Brown, [1974, c1973].
Surveys the scientific and intellectual history of Man and his ideas and inventions.
509 Ros
Ross, Frank Xavier, 1914-. Oracle Bones, Stars, and Wheelbarrows: ancient Chinese science and
technology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982. Discusses the achievements of the ancient Chinese in
astronomy, medicine, science, and engineering, as well as such influential Chinese inventions as paper,
printing, gun powder, and the compass.
600 S
The Smithsonian book of Invention. 1st ed. [Washington]: New York: Smithsonian Institution; distributed by
W. W. Norton, c1978. Traces the history and development of invention and technology from prehistoric times to
the present and examines the impact of technology and industry on civilization.
609 G
The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2,000 Years. Simon & Schuster, [c2000]. Contributors from a variety of
fields offer their views of the most important discoveries of the last two millennia--and some earlier ones that
bore fruit more recently--including social and philosophical changes as well as scientific and technological
inventions.
609 G
Giscard d'Estaing, Valérie-Anne. The World Almanac Book of Inventions. New York, N.Y.: World Almanac
Publications: Distributed in the U.S. by Ballantine Books, 1985. sundial, spindle, wheel, plow, automobile,
steam
engine, water wheel, rocket, windmill, steamboat, airplane, train, bicycle, automobile, compass, tractor, printing
press, telegraph, telephone, sewing machine, Discusses over 2,000 inventions that have shaped mankind and
the inventors responsible for them.
R 609 WIL
Williams, Trevor Illtyd. The History of Invention: from Stone Axes to Silicon Chips. New York, N.Y.: Facts on
File, c1987. pre-history: stone tools, paint, fish hooks, irrigation, the spearhead, shelters, food preservation, the
wheel. ancient world: levers and pulleys, the alphabet, military fortifications, the arch, the calendar, the chariot,
shipbuilding, the lighthouse, surgical instruments, iron weapons, maps. middle ages: paper, printing press, the
magnetic compass, the windmill, the flying buttress, gunpowder, the water wheel, the cross-bow, the cannon,
body armor. renaissance: telescope, the sextant, the chronometer, the steam engine, the globe, the astrolabe,
the bayonet, the flying shuttle, the musket, pendulum clocks, synthetic dyes. Industrial revolution: steam turbine
engine, the cotton gin, the telegraph, the machine gun, internal combustion engine, iron smelting, steam ship,
hot air balloon, electricity, railways, refrigeration, photography, mechanized manufacturing. 20th century: hydroelectric power, the gasoline-powered auto, radio, TV, plastics, petrochemicals, airplane, x-rays,
cinematography. computer age: jet propulsion, nuclear power, biotechnology, medical technology, space
satellites, laser, personal computers, holography, optical fiber cables, artificial organs, interplanetary
exploration. Chronicles thousands of inventions, and explains and places them in their historical, cultural, and
scientific context.
Subscription Databases and E-Books:
Search for reference book and periodical articles about your topic, online.
Britannica Online School Edition
NOVEL ProQuest (Platinum) includes some periodicals that contain historical and cultural information, such as
History Today, National Geographic, and Smithsonian. If your search yields too many articles and you need to
narrow it, try limiting it to one of these publications. (It’s a good idea to check the “full text” box before you hit
search, as well.)
Gale Virtual Reference Library (access through “E-Books” button on HS Lib. Website): Contains articles from
reference books online, on a variety of subjects.
History Reference Center Contains articles from periodicals and books, plus images and video, all on History.
Use the sidebar on the left to narrow results by source type.
Science Reference Center Contains articles from periodicals and books, plus images and video, all on Science.
Use the sidebar on the left to narrow results by source type.
Websites:
Use Wikipedia to initially explore topics. Then try:
IEEE Global History Network
Making the Modern World
Museum of Ancient Inventions
Inventions and Inventors
Lifetips: The Ten Most Famous Inventions
The Great Idea Finder
They Made America
Search Google, Bing, Grokker etc. for information on specific inventions. Be sure to evaluate any sites you find!