Book description
The history of science is often seen as a story of advancement but
nothing could be further from the truth. Science, it is true, has
progressed, but rarely in the direction intended and seldom for the
reasons given. This has a lot to do with the people responsible. From
the strange to the eccentric, meet Thales, credited as 'the father of
science', whose only real claim to fame is that he often fell into
ditches, discover how Archimedes never said Eureka and hated baths
anyway and how the most lucrative ancient Greek invention was not
democracy but the slot machine. Justin Pollard also fills us in on Issac
Newton, who thought gravity was created by the Holy Spirit, how eleven
people claimed to have invented the steam engine and why the first
website was twelve foot across and made of wood. Justin Pollard read
Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge. He is a historical writer and
consultant in film and TV. His credits include Elizabeth and Atonement
and the BBC TV drama The Tudors, as well as more than twenty-five
documentary series such as Channel 4's Time Team. He is a writer and
researcher for QI and the author of seven books including The
Interesting Bits, Charge! and Secret Britain.
