by Vaclav Smil
Hall’s, 175–176
Hertz’s, 243
internal combustion engines, 106–107, 112
Kettering’s, 126–127
Kodak, 217–218
linotypes, 204–205
Marconi’s, 245, 248
Mergenthaler’s, 204–205
Movies, 221–224
Otto’s 106–107
Parsons’s, 63–64
Selden’s, 138
Stanley’s, 70–72
steelmaking, 158, 160, 162
Tesla’s, 77–78, 82, 251–253
typewriters, 207–208
US, 285–286
vacuum tubes, 255–256
Westinghouse’s, 71–72
perceptions, 303–312
Pennsylvania, 150, 280–281
Phantoscope, 222–223
Philadelphia,
Exhibition, 179, 199, 231, 242
phonograph, 236–237
photography, 214–215, 218–219
pizza, 278
plants,
electricity-generating,
Appleton (WI), 55
Brockton (MA), 57
Chicago (IL), 65
Deptford (UK), 72, 86–87
East River (NY), 32–33, 66
Elberfeld (Germany), 64
Greenwich (London), 66
Godalming (UK), 55
Holborn Viaduct (London), 53, 55
Neptune Bank (UK), 64, 89
Newcastle upon Tyne (UK), 64, 90
Niagara Falls (NY), 87–88
Pearl Street (NY), 53, 56–58, 60, 62, 271–272
Schenectady (NY), 65
Willesden (UK), 90
sewage, 294
plastics, 181
platinum, 38–42, 44
plugs,
electric, 97
spark, 113, 125–126, 131, 274–275
Poldhu, 249–250
population, 196, 286, 289
farming, 293
postcards, 213
prices, 25–26, 130, 133, 137, 178, 217, 235, 287, 295, 297
of crude oil, 25–26
prime movers, 10–11, 14–16, 20, 29, 81, 83, 103
printing, 202–209
prize,
Nobel, 18, 93, 189, 196, 207, 251, 270
process,
Bessemer, 158–160, 162–163
Birkeland-Eyde, 189–190, 253
cyanamide, 188–189
cyanide, 308
Haber-Bosch, 11, 23, 27, 68, 194–195, 308
Hall-Héroult, 11, 95, 177–178
Ritter-Kellner, 211
soda (alkali), 210–211
sulfate, 211–213
sulfite (acid), 211–212
production,
industrial, 131–133, 164–167, 174–179, 192– 195, 210–213, 288–301 (see also individual industries)
proteins, 186, 197
publishing, 213
Punch, 121–122, 304–305
qwertyuiop, 207, 209
radio, 245, 251, 253–257
ratio,
compression, 108, 128
mass/power ratio,
aeroengines, 148–149
electric motors, 79
internal combustion engines, 105, 106, 108, 114–115, 120, 128–129, 131, 142–143
steam engines, 61
steam turbines, 66
recordings,
sound, 236–240
records, 238–240
gramophone, 237–239
rectifiers, 11, 83, 89
refrigeration, 92–93
Renaissance, 19
revolution,
agricultural, 13
industrial, 13, 19, 21, 295
second, 2–22, 25
retailing, 30, 31, 295
Rhizobium, 187
rockets, 23
Royal Dutch/Shell, 301
Sanxia (Three Gorges), 172
science, 13–18, 22
Scientific American, 121, 307–308
Sears & Roebuck, 91, 202
semiconductors, 261
services, 287
Seven-Up, 278
ships, 68, 143–144, 251, 307
Siemens & Halske, 45, 75, 95–96, 161, 235, 251, 301
Signal Hill (Newfoundland), 249
signals,
Morse, 10, 249, 268
silicon, 73, 167
skyscrapers, 168–170
slag, 160
societies,
high-energy, 287–292
sound, 226–240
recordings, 236–240
reproduction of, 226–240
spiritualism, 267
sports, 278–279, 297
steam, 64, 66, 268
steel, 152, 154–158, 166, 273, 277
alloys, 166–167
Bessemer process, 158–160, 162–163, 166
in construction, 167–172
production, 160, 164–167, 311–312
scrap, 164
silicon, 73, 167
stainless, 167
uses, 155, 164–167
vanadium, 130
streetcars, 94–95
skyscrapers, 168–172
stores,
department, 30–31, 92, 295
Sydney Opera, 172
Telefunken AG, 251, 253
telegraph, 34, 51, 227–229, 236
wireless, 244–251
telephones, 198–200, 227–236, 296, 307
early history, 226–236
cellular, 10, 201, 227, 245
television, 245
terrorism, 185
Texas, 278, 291
thermodynamics, 14, 16
cycles, 14, 24
laws of,
first, 10, 15
second, 16, 22
tires, 127
Titanic, 68, 251
titanium, 179
toasters, 91, 167
tractors, 142–143, 306–307
tragedies, 269–271
trains, 95
transformers, 11, 35, 60, 68–74
growth, 73
hysteresis, 73
patents, 70–72
transistors, 2–3
transmission, 42, 53–54, 57, 69, 73, 86–89
transmitters, 247–254
trap,
mouse, 276–277
trinitrotoluene (TNT), 183, 185
triode, 255–256
trucks, 141–142
tubes,
vacuum, 254–256
tungsten, 46–48, 128, 290
turbines,
gas, 10, 29, 144
steam, 16, 21, 60, 62-68, 282-283, 307-308
Curtis, 65
efficiency, 65–66
growth, 63–67
Laval, 62-63, 65
Parsons, 60-68, 307
water, 55, 62, 90-91
Turbinia, 68, 307
turbogenerators, 64-68, 283
typesetting 202-207
typewriters, 22-23, 207-209
Unisys, 263
United Kingdom, 41, 85, 90, 127, 135-136, 158, 163, 235, 286, 293, 299-301, 306
United States, 22-23, 103, 154, 158, 180, 293-294, 296, 306-307
aviation, 150
and China, 196-197
cars, 129-134, 137-138, 141-142, 150
coal mining, 180, 293
economy, 22-23, 286-287, 290
electricity, 82, 90-93, 94, 96
energy consumption, 288-292
movies, 221-223
nitrogen, 193
patents, 285-286
steel, 156-157, 166
telephones, 226-236
trucks, 141-142
UPS (United Parcel Service), 202
urea, 194, 196-197
US Steel, 162
Vitascope, 222-223, 225
voltage, 69-70, 84, 283
wages, 287, 297
water,
chlorination of, 294
waterwheels, 14-15
waves,
electromagnetic, 200
, 241, 244
frequencies of, 244, 247, 249-250, 254-255
Hertzian, 4, 10
welding,
electric, 95, 308-309
Western Union, 233
Westinghouse Electric, 45, 67, 71, 76-77, 80, 84, 86-87, 91, 96-97
wheel,
Ferris, 297-298
windmills, 15
wire,
barbed, 276-277
wood, 154, 210-212, 288-289
Woolworth Building, 168-169
zipper, 21, 277
Zoopraxiscope, 216, 220
