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Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
- Narrated by: W. Bernard Carlson
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
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Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
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Summary
We’re surrounded by inventions. Clocks, appliances, cars, televisions, cell phones...the list goes on and on. Where did all these inventions come from? How do they work? And how do they reflect - even define - the values of our culture?
Now, you can learn the remarkable stories surrounding monumental inventions - and how consequential these inventions were to history. Taught by Professor W. Bernard Carlson of the University of Virginia, who is an expert on the role of innovation in history, these 36 enlightening lectures give you a broad survey of material history, from the ancient pottery wheel to the Internet and social media. Along with recounting the famous inventions you might expect, such as the steam engine, the airplane, and the atomic bomb, this course explores a number of surprising innovations, including beer, pagodas, and the operating room.
From ancient China to 21st-century America, from the English coal mines to the high-tech companies of Silicon Valley, this course takes you around the world and across the ages to introduce you to some of the most innovative moments in human civilization. This unique approach to history will boost your technology literacy and give you a completely new appreciation for the everyday objects around you.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
What listeners say about Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JCS Talbot
- 12-05-20
Dreadful Delivery!
How very disappointing this Great Courses was for me. Having listened to upwards of a hundred GCs on many subjects, this falls well below the usual standard and it is quite the worst one I have ever listened to. Don't get me wrong, the subject matter is top-notch and fascinating, but the delivery was dreadful. Most of the lectures had multiple silent pauses lasting several seconds for no apparent reason and the lecturer often stuttered - I assume in his eagerness to share his enthusiasm for the subject. Then there were the frequent references to diagrams or articles on display or being operated, complete with sound effects, in what must have been a lecture theatre - this is not very helpful to the listener of a GC audiobook - and the accompanying pdf file did not elucidate. I feel that more takes were required to achieve a smooth, stutter-free delivery and to remove references to his demonstration items, diagrams, etc. Also, more careful and better editing of the recording to remove the silences would improve this GC a huge amount.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chris Evans
- 27-08-23
A great series of lectures
Fascinating series and the ideas developed logically. Perfect size chapters and a good supporting PDF.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Duncan
- 18-01-19
Interesting Content - Sub standard narration
I found the content of interest, the narration in my opinion was poor, lots of mistakes and re-starting of sentences. The American accent does not work for me either.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 16-01-19
Not an audiobook
This is the audio track to a visual lecture. It is littered with reference to pictures and items being shown, but are not reflected in the accompanying material. Nevertheless it does a decent job of explaining a number of important inventions and their place in history and society.
PS: author should get his history straight though: ‘WW1 was fought between Britain and Germany’. Really?
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5 people found this helpful