Intro -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Introduction -- Part I: In the Beginning -- Big Bang -- Life -- "Handy Man" -- Upright, Fire, Tools, and Speech -- Homo Sapiens -- Part II: At Home -- Civilization -- Evolution -- Agriculture -- Settlements and Cities -- Homes -- Doors and Hinges -- Windows -- Locks and Keys -- Chubb and Yale -- Electronic Security -- Fire and Cooking -- The Hearth -- Ovens -- Fires and Smoke -- Central Heating -- ... and Cooling -- Cool Buildings -- Preserving -- In the Kitchen -- Pots, Pans, and Kitchenware -- The Pantry -- Bread -- Let Them Eat Cake -- The Sausage Domesticating Animals -- Dairy Products -- Fast Food -- Breakfast Cereals -- Naughty but Nice -- Sweetness -- Diets -- The Cellar -- Water and Wine -- Spirits -- Tea and Coffee -- Fizzy Drinks -- Shopping -- Markets and Shops -- Shopping Centers -- Co-ops, Chains, and Department Stores -- Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, and Loyalty Programs -- Checking Out and Driving Through -- Clothing -- Materials -- Technology -- Basic Clothing -- Boots and Shoes -- Footwear Fashion -- Underwear -- Corsets, Socks, and Stockings -- Hats -- Keeping Warm and Dry -- Battle Dress -- Armor -- Smart and Formal Taking It Easy -- Sportswear -- Fastenings -- Domestic Tools, Furniture, and Gadgets -- Cutlery and Chopsticks -- Tableware -- Liquid Storage -- Furniture -- Beds and Chests -- Gadgets -- Making Tea -- The Coffee Challenge -- Keeping Clean -- Sweeping -- Washing -- Bath Time -- Toilet Talk -- Diapers and Paper -- Recipes, Cookbooks, and Manuals -- Eating Out -- Part III: Health and Medicine -- Early Days -- Extraordinary Egyptians -- Greece -- Islam -- Scientific Medicine -- Drugs -- Fighting Pain -- Going Under -- The Syringe -- Germ Warfare -- Diabetes -- Tummy Troubles Antibiotics, the "Wonder Drug" -- Antidepressants -- Blood Pressure -- Anti-Inflammation -- Steroids -- Pharmacies and Prescriptions -- Tobacco -- Mental Health -- Madness -- Toward Understanding -- Surgery -- Before Anesthetics -- Safely Under the Knife -- "Unsex Me Here" -- Replacements and Transplants -- Women in Medicine -- The Beginnings of Aesthetic Medicine -- A New, Improved You -- Medical Hardware -- Crude (and Painful) Beginnings -- Technology to the Fore -- Scans and Robots -- Blood -- Vaccination, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola -- Vaccination -- HIV/AIDS and Ebola -- Sight and Sound Spectacles -- Treatment and Contacts -- Hearing -- Dentistry -- Primitive Beginnings -- Modern Developments -- Birth Control -- Sex, Birth, and Babies -- Sex and No Sex -- Birth -- Infants -- Part IV: Getting Around -- Horses and Carts -- Taming the Horse -- Wheels and Carts -- Carriages -- Beasts of Burden -- The Long Road to the Automobile -- Self-Propulsion -- Mass Production -- Gadgetry Galore -- Safety and the Environment -- Other Road Users -- Taxis and Buses -- Trucks, Tractors, and Tracks -- Bikes... -- ... and Motorbikes -- The Highway -- Roads -- Signs and Parking -- Accidents -- Crossings.
Summary:
The ultimate collection of curious and inventive trivia for all you need to know about the origin of just about everything on the planet. Thisfact-packed collection recounts the origins, invention, and discovery of just about everything, from the big bang to driverless cars. Find out intriguing answers to questions like: What materialwasthe first clothing made out of' Who invented bathtubs' Who paved the first road' What came first: wine or whiskey' Perfect for history buffs, trivia junkies, or fun-fact connoisseurs, this entertaining and enlightening collection is for curious minds who have wondered about the mysteries of the beginning of all things.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.