Overview

"The relationship between war and science - as old as the wheel - entered a whole new realm with the Civil War, the first truly ""technological"" conflict. ""Secret Gadgets and Strange Gizmos"" traces this evolving connection from the deadly innovations of the Union and Confederate forces to the top secret, high-tech inventions that are making military history today. Chronicling the hits, the misses, and the important technological advances produced by the military's high-tech hubs - aviation, wireless communication, the Internet, atomic energy, satellite technology, and space travel - this richly illustrated book takes readers from the ironclads, land mines, and ship-launched hydrogen balloons of the Civil War to the world-changing bombs of the Atomic Age; from the military's first flirtation with flight to the conquest of space; from the acceleration of wireless communication during World War I to modern innovations like the mob-clearing Banshee grenade and portable medical suites outfitted for front-line surgery."

Full Product Details

9780760321157

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Reviews

Library Bookwatch, September 2006 There have been so many books about wars and their weapons that one might wonder at the need for another, but the focus is difference here, Secret Gadgets, Strange Gizmos narrows the focus to the secret, behind-the-scenes and largely forgotten inventions and theories of these wars, surveying some lesser known weapons and military systems from World War I onward. Chapters cover history, manufacture, testing results and more and provide plenty of black and white and color photo embellishment...a highly recommended pick any military collection should have.

Library Bookwatch, September 2006 There have been so many books about wars and their weapons that one might wonder at the need for another, but the focus is difference here . Secret Gadgets, Strange Gizmos narrows the focus to the secret, behind-the-scenes and largely forgotten inventions and theories of these wars, surveying some lesser known weapons and military systems from World War I onward. Chapters cover history, manufacture, testing results and more and provide plenty of black and white and color photo embellishment...a highly recommended pick any military collection should have.

Author Information

Bill Yenne is the author of more than three dozen books, many on aviation and other historic topics. He lives in San Francisco, California.

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