This vivid, engrossing book reveals the fascinating stories behind the objects in your world, what you wear, what you eat, what entertains you, and more. Discover the history behind the world's tallest skyscrapers, find out when people first started drinking caffeine and why it wakes us up, and learn how GPS came to be.



For those who loved the first installment of An Uncommon History of Common Things come even more short entries illustrated by full color photos. These incorporate quirky anecdotes about the history of everyday objects, including the personalities and pitfalls along the path to innovation and unusual facts behind things we frequently see and use. Smart, surprising, and informative, this book is the ultimate resource for history and trivia buffs alike. Dive into these entertaining pages and let your curiosity to run wild!

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HENRY PETROSKI is a professor of engineering and of history at Duke University. He has written a number of books on the history of everyday objects, among them The Pencil, The Evolution of Useful Things, and The Book on the Bookshelf. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he lectures nationally and internationally on topics small and large.