Thomas F. (hardtack) -
An interesting book about numerous "American inventions" which had an effect on the world. The author also does a good job describing the way some inventors either stole or tried to steal ideas from other inventors. Many of these instances ended up in court, going as high as the Supreme Court. And, in a number of cases, the author give credit to ideas which were conceived by others, often in other countries and long before recent history, but which were ignored or not able to work due to the state of technology at the time.
Still, I think he could have done a better job selecting some of the inventions he did. Frankly, I'm not entirely convinced the electric guitar, video games and virtual reality are things we should be immensely proud of.
As for the "amusement park," I believe several ancient cultures had those long before we did. For example, consider the Roman arenas, or the 18th and 19th century British "pleasure gardens." But I did like reading about New York's Coney Island, as I was there a few times before it shut down in the mid-60s. It brought back memories of my childhood.
Still, I think he could have done a better job selecting some of the inventions he did. Frankly, I'm not entirely convinced the electric guitar, video games and virtual reality are things we should be immensely proud of.
As for the "amusement park," I believe several ancient cultures had those long before we did. For example, consider the Roman arenas, or the 18th and 19th century British "pleasure gardens." But I did like reading about New York's Coney Island, as I was there a few times before it shut down in the mid-60s. It brought back memories of my childhood.
