History's Worst Inventions: And the People Who Made Them

by Eric Chaline

Amazing coverage of some very interesting inventions and how and why they came about.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2009

About the author

Author, journalist and editor, winner of the Lord Aberdare Prize, 2018

Reviews

[Ryan Copping]

This book is probably less fun than the title would suggest - among the “worst inventions” are freon, heroin and radium paint - but a lot of the facts here are pretty astounding. Some of the other choices stretch a bit - is a fast food meal really an invention? That said, the book is surprisingly thought provoking, particularly when it discusses the unintended consequences from what seemed like major scientific achievements at the time.

[Leandro Chiaretto]

Bem interessante eu título engana um pouco. Em alguns aspectos é bem polêmico na classificação de "pior" alguma coisa...
Mesmo assim gostei da leitura leve.

[Italo]

Livro interessante com algumas informações e invenções pouco conhecidas e que, ao se ver hoje, nasceram fadadas ao fracasso.

[Tabitha]

This book claims to be about failures of invention and various ridiculous ideas people have had throughout history. "An entertaining look at the failures of celebrated inventors and less well-known pioneers." Right there on the back cover! And that's what it is... well, sort of.
Except in order to have a 'worst' category you have to be willing to assign a comparative worth to items in a group. 'Worst' would seem to imply bad, stupid or poorly designed. (And in a book of inventions that translates to wacky entertaining fun!) There are a few entertaining crazies mixed in, but a good portion of the book seems to be dedicated to various squeaky soap-boxes. Here 'worst' is quickly found to mean dangerous or put to poor use. Few laughs, a scarcity of wacky inventor hijinks, lots and lots of talking about how much trouble petroleum products and gunpowder have been for the human race.
Also, a few pages near the end of the book are dedicated to how much the author hates karaoke. And possibly is a failed American Idol contestant in disguise: "Doing it 'your way' isn't going to turn you into the next Frank Sinatra but just make you the butt of some cruel judge's joke."
On a scale of 1 to clever, this rates as a misleading disappointment.

[Camilla Zahn]

This book is very funny and interesting to read. I expected to have more "dumb" inventions and it went more to very curious ones (some very dumb too), but it did not disappointed me. It's really easy to read, very well explained and is full of curiosities about humankind and our creations. I also enjoyed that has a lot of references that you can look to read further on subjects you liked the most.

[Anna Engel]

The "worst" invention is obviously a subjective designation, but I'd kinda hoped for more… whimsy, I guess. Like the machine that was designed to use centrifugal force to help women give birth.

Each entry is a snapshot of the invention, its inventor(s), and the reason it's on the list. The information provided was brief, but overall correct, with a slight lefty bias (which I happen to generally agree with).

[Mandy Cooper]

This book definitely had some interesting information, and it kept me entertained for a few days as I sat in the car line waiting to pick up my son from school, so, purpose served. I will say, though, that it got a little preachy with a few subjects, such as fast food and soda. Everything in moderation, folks. ;)

[Melissa]

This is a very interesting book detailing all different types of inventions, from flight to medicine, and the inventors that made them possible. Good for some laughs, a few cringes, and a lot of eye rolling, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history or comedy.

[Clayton]

Had an interesting section on the inventor of both leaded gasoline and Freon, Thomas Midgley, Jr., a man now dubiously known as having "had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history."

It was a bargain bin book at B&N but an interesting read.

[Emerson Lima]

Divertido e cativante. Sempre que pensamos nos inventores, pensamos em seus acertos mas seus erros são tão significativos quanto. Destaque para o Sr. Thomas Midgley, o organismo mais deletério para atmosfera que já pisou no planeta...

[David Beckstead]

Fun book to read. Short and easy bathroom reading! ;-)

[Luuk M]

Populistisch geschreven. Grappig maar pulp.

[Abraham Ray]

great book of bad inventions!

[Costas Manolakis]

Eric Chaline, Οι χειρότερες εφευρέσεις της ιστορίας και οι άνθρωποι που τις επινόησαν, εκδ. Κλειδάριθμος, 2011