{"product_id":"inventions-that-could-have-changed-the-worldbut-didnt-isbn-9781623541019","title":"Inventions That Could Have Changed the World...But Didn't!","description":"Dive into the US Patent Office's zaniest back-catalogue entries in this laugh-out-loud collection of wacky, weird, and unwieldy inventions! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy haven't we ever heard of the jumping balloon, the ejector bed, or the Portable Baby Cage? Some inventions were too off-putting. Others simply didn’t work, though they laid the foundation for greater successes down the line (here's looking at you, Mr. Henry Ford). And still others may be the next big thing . . . some day. Learn about the inventors, what they thought they would build, and what—if anything—they actually accomplished. Zany illustrations of the contraptions in use throughout.From \"Smell-O-Vision\" to a motorized pogo stick and an edible smartphone case, this romp through Patent Office records is a hilarious tribute to misapplied ingenuity.\"The world is bursting with ideas,\" Rhatigan observes. \"Unfortunately, not all of these ideas are good.\" In support, he digs up dozens of unlikely proposals—some of which, like Henry Ford's early Quadricycle and Thomas Edison's Talking Doll were harbingers of truly world-changing innovations. Most, though, like the Reid Flying Submarine, 19th-century rocking bathtubs, a suggestive party-game version of cup-and-ball played at waist level and the aforementioned movie theater \"Smell-O-Vision\" (and a competing technology, \"AromaRama\") never got off the ground due to obvious design flaws, expense or just inadequate marketing. Still, all were concocted in a spirit of enterprise, and by way of a hat tip, the author names nearly all of their inventors, renowned or otherwise. Owsley's cartoon visualizations of selected inventions in action join original patent drawings and occasional photos to provide comical commentary as much as to clarify physical and functional details. Casual browsers will come away mightily amused; would-be inventors will find here fresh inspiration, as well as encouragement to give their own wildest ideas a try.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eFor every successful invention, there are a  lot of near-misses, dozens of which Rhatigan collects in this  entertaining sidewise view of history, which includes b\u0026amp;w  illustrations from actual patent applications as well as color cartoons  from Owsley. Inventions that didn't get off the ground include a  parachute coat (the inventor died testing its effectiveness), a bed that  ejects its sleeper to wake him or her, a \"Portable Baby Cage\" that  hangs from the outside of a window, and a rocking bathtub (\"no matter  what the advertisements said, water got everywhere\"). Despite  cataloguing a great many failures, Rhatigan challenges readers to try  their hands at inventing; as Thomas Edison puts it, in one of serveral  featured quotations, \"Just because something doesn't do what you planned  it to do doesn't mean it's useless.\"\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eFor each new innovation that  revolutionizes the way people live, there are countless failures--ideas  that seemed full of promise but flopped for any number of reasons.  Rhatigan asserts that the most compelling stories of invention can be  found among these \"losers.\" Young readers will be tickled by  descriptions of inventions such as a nineteenth-century bed that  catapulted sleepers onto the floor when it was time to wake up; an  extremely dangerous motorized pogo stick; and the iPotty, a training  toilet for toddlers that features an iPad holder. Owsley's comical  cartoon illustrations, along with historical diagrams of some of the  inventions, add to the fun. Chapters are divided into broad categories,  including designs for transportation, for entertainment, for parents and  pet owners, and for eliminating daily inconveniences. Rhatigan includes  a brief explanation of how the patent process works and why it exists  and posits questions for fledgling inventors to consider about the  potential of their ideas. This engaging book holds up innumerable  examples of how both trying and failing are avoidable parts of progress.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Booklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eOpening with a discussion of inventions  that weren't as effective as promised, Rhatigan examines these, seeing  them as steps toward innovations that did work-an important lesson for  students. The inclusion of actual patent drawings offers insight into  the patent process as well as humorous commentary. Readers will enjoy  the wide variety of craziness, organized to show that mixed among the  many unknown inventors are famous names such as Thomas Edison and  Buckminster Fuller, who each had their share of unsuccessful projects. A  scattering of photos brings a connection to the real world and  contrasts dramatically with the abundance of cartoon drawings intended  to enhance the absurdity of some inventions. The layout is busy with  random splashes of primary colors to distinguish the vignettes. VERDICT  This book will be of interest to curious kids with an engineering bent,  though it is not an essential purchase.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eThomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Ernö Rubik (creator of the Rubik's cube) are the names we associate with particular inventions, but they weren't the first to design or create light bulbs, gasoline-powered cars, or three-dimensional puzzles. For every successful creation, the patent literature is full of designs and ideas that never found broad acceptance. Some just seem bizarre, whereas others may have been insufficiently perfected or overly complicated. Structured around images from old patents combined with wacky illustrations, this book presents the reader with a series of inventions that didn't quite make the big time. These include pet diapers, baby food for teenagers, and all manner of transportation devices. Some designs appear to have been just ahead of their time—and perhaps were a source of influence for the gadgets regularly found in science fiction and spy movies. In some cases, though, you'll be left scratching your head. It is hard to believe, for example, that a gas-powered pogo stick was conceived, much less marketed to the public. Not only was this the case, but the authors provide a link to the commercial that was used (unsuccessfully) to try to sell it. This is a fun book to browse through and certainly one to consider for budding inventors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e-Science Magazine \u003c\/i\u003eJoe Rhatigan is a well-respected editor and author, and has written many bestselling books, including the acclaimed White House Kids: The Perks, Pleasures, Problems and Pratfalls of the Presidents' Children, People You Gotta Meet Before You Grow Up, Don't Unravel When You Travel, and many more. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina.Take a look around you and try to count the number of inventions you see. Everything from the light you’re using to read this book to the machines used to create this book was invented by someone who saw a problem and found a creative way to solve it. That’s what inventions are: solutions to problems.\u003cbr\u003e             Some of these solutions have changed the world in fascinating ways. Before lightbulbs, people went to bed when it got dark outside. (There was nothing else to do.) Before the printing press, only a very few people had access to books. The very best inventions make you wonder how people ever lived without them.\u003cbr\u003e             There are a lot of great books about these incredible inventions and the fascinating people who made them. But this book has something else on its mind: What about the inventions that didn’t change the world?\u003cbr\u003e             The world is bursting with ideas. Unfortunately, not all of these ideas are good. For every amazing invention, there are thousands that are never produced, arrive too soon or too late to be of any use, or simply don’t work. Some are too impractical, silly, or unwieldy. Others may be the next big thing . . . someday. In many ways, these flops can be just as fascinating as lightbulbs, cars, computers, and smartphones. Wacky, weird, wonderful, or just plain wrong, these are the inventions included in this book.\u003cbr\u003e             In some sense, you can say this book is about failure, but it’s a kind of failure worth celebrating. The human race can’t move forward without trying and sometimes not succeeding. Without these inventions that didn’t work out, we probably wouldn’t have the ones that did. So this book celebrates the flops and also-rans—the inventions that could have changed the world, should have made a difference, or would have astounded us all, but for one reason or another didn’t.","brand":"Charlesbridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302493147365,"sku":"NP9781623541019","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781623541019.jpg?v=1767730158","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/inventions-that-could-have-changed-the-worldbut-didnt-isbn-9781623541019","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}