Page 8 - My FlipBook
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION / 7
CHAPTER ONE: DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY / 9
From Shellac to Sensational: Plastic, 1909 (Leo Hendrik Baekeland) / 11
Unbreakable: Kevlar, 1971 (Stephanie Kwolek) / 14
Blow Up: Smart Dust, 2003 (Jamie Link) / 18
CHAPTER TWO: GET KNOWLEDGE AND USE IT / 21
The Maid Did It: Classifying Stars, 1890 (Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming) / 22
Amazing Radiation: X-Rays, 1895 (Wilhelm Röntgen) / 24
Keep That Beat Going: Pacemakers, 1949 (Dr. Wilfred G. Bigelow and
Dr. John C. Callaghan) / 26
CHAPTER THREE: PAY ATTENTION / 29
Clean Sweep: Windshield Wipers, 1903 (Mary Anderson) / 30
Nuts to You: Plenty of Peanut Products, 1910s (George Washington Carver) / 32
The Accident That Still Saves Millions: Penicillin, 1928 (Alexander Fleming) / 36
CHAPTER FOUR: MAKE CONNECTIONS / 39
It Makes Sense: Folding Beds, 1885 (Sarah E. Goode) / 40
A Walk in the Woods: Velcro, 1941 (George de Mestral) / 44
Hot Pockets: Microwaves, 1945 (Percy Spencer) / 46
CHAPTER FIVE: RECOGNIZE THAT IT TAKES TIME / 49
Remember the Ice: Popsicles, 1905 (Frank Epperson) / 50
Night After Night: High-Dose Radiation, 1949 (Dr. Vera Peters) / 52
Stick to It: Post-it Notes, 1980 (Dr. Spencer Silver and Art Fry) / 55
CHAPTER SIX: BE PERSISTENT / 59
Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!: Trampolines, 1936 (George Nissen) / 60
Light Bender: Fiber Optics, 1954 (Narinder Singh Kapany) / 63
It Is Rocket Science: Rocket Fuel, 1957 (Mary Sherman Morgan) / 66
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