Release date is 2011-09-30

Introduction -- The printing press -- The steam engine -- Electricity: the telegraph and the telephone -- Electricity: Lighting, transportation, and other uses -- The discovery of America -- Weapons and gunpowder -- Astronomical discoveries and inventions -- The cotton-gin -- Anæsthetics -- Steel and rubber -- Stenography and the typewriter -- The friction match -- Photography -- Clocks -- Some machines: The sewing machine. The reaper. Spinning and weaving machines -- Aeronautics.

E-text prepared by Albert László and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org)

"Great Inventions and Discoveries" by Willis Duff Piercy is an educational work aimed at young readers, written in the early 20th century. The book chronicles significant inventions and discoveries that have shaped human civilization, highlighting key figures and their contributions to technological advancement. Through engaging prose, it aims to instill appreciation for innovation and the historical context in which these breakthroughs occurred. The opening of the book sets the stage for a fascinating exploration of civilization's journey from primitive existence to the complex modern world. It begins with a vivid contrast between the lives of early cave-dwellers and contemporary society, emphasizing the transformative impact of inventions like the printing press, steam engine, and electric telegraph. Piercy introduces the concept of civilization as the accumulation of achievements, illustrating how each invention contributes to societal advancement, safety, and happiness. This initial chapter lays a foundation for the subsequent detailed discussions on specific technologies, urging readers to recognize humanity's capacity for progress through ingenuity and determination. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Original publication data not identified