Description
In 1676 Isaac Newton wrote to Robert Hooke, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". Indeed, the history of science is the history of great minds building upon the ideas of their predecessors. More recent scientists have echoed Newton's words, acknowledging the debt each generation owes to those who came before. This new series presents chronologically those "giants" and their work, showing how our knowledge of the physical world evolved from ancient philosophy to today's highly complex, high-tech science.
This, the second book in the series, covers the Enlightenment and the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. It recounts the findings of leading scientists of the day on such subjects as electricity, gases, and the classification of living things. Included also is a discussion of the scientific theories that shaped and inspired the discoveries of this vital era. Illustrated with line art and photos, this book presents the amazing breadth of 18th- century scientific thought, which laid the foundations for the way we perceive the world today.
