Everything's Relative: And Other Fables from Science and Technology - Hardcover

by Tony Rothman (Author)

The surprising truth behind many of the most cherished "facts" in science history

Morse invented the telegraph, Bell the telephone, Edison the light bulb, and Marconi the radio . . . right? Well . . . the truth is slightly more complicated. The history of science and technology is riddled with apocrypha, inaccuracies, and falsehoods, and physicist Tony Rothman has taken it upon himself to throw a monkey wrench into the works.

Combining a storyteller's gifts with a scientist's focus and hardheaded devotion to the facts--such as they may be--Rothman breaks down many of the most famous "just-so" stories of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and technology to give credit where credit is truly due. From Einstein's possible misunderstanding of his own theories to actress Hedy Lemarr's role in the invention of the radio-controlled torpedo, he dredges his way through the legends of science history in relating the fascinating stories behind some of the most important, and often unsung, breakthroughs in science.

Front Jacket

Morse invented the telegraph, Bell the telephone, and Edison the light bulb . . . or so we have been led to believe. In a discipline so firmly rooted in empirical data, it's surprising to discover how the history of science can be so riddled by apocrypha, inaccuracies, and blatant falsehoods. In Everything's Relative, writer and physicist Tony Rothman sets the record straight once and for all, giving credit where credit is due by debunking centuries of commonly held beliefs embedded throughout science and technology's illustrious, albeit distorted, history.

Combining a storyteller's gift with a scientist's focus, Tony Rothman breaks down many of the most famous "just-so" stories of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and technology. Each engaging anecdote clearly reveals how unique discoveries are the exception, rather than the rule. Discoveries almost always take place simultaneously or build upon a predecessor's breakthrough . . . usually without acknowledging the work of their fellow colleagues whose slighted names have since fallen into obscurity. Who really discovered Neptune? Was it the quiet, self-effacing Brit John Couch Adams or the arrogant, self-promoting French scientist Urbain Le Verrier? Or was Neptune's discovery just a fantastic coincidence altogether? Everything's Relative tells the fascinating "truth-is-stranger-than-fiction" story behind this and many other scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, including how:

• Henry Young, the greatest American scientist after Benjamin Franklin, severed his friendship with Samuel Morse after not receiving proper credit for his key role in inventing the telegraph
• Thomas Young's celebrated "double slit" experiment is so laden with ambiguous language, it raises the question: Did Young really act alone in his experiment?
• Albert Einstein, one of the greatest twentieth-century physicists and a titan of science, misinterpreted his own highly celebrated theory of relativity
• Neither James Watt, nor Robert Fulton, nor John Fitch, nor Simon Newcomen invented the steam engine-Captain Thomas Savary first invented the prototype for the steam engine back in 1698
• More than 600 lawsuits were filed against Alexander Graham Bell after he took sole credit for inventing the telephone
• And much more

Back Jacket

Stand on the shoulders of giants and discover the real stories behind many of the most cherished "facts" in science history

Forget everything you learned in school. Abandon the sound-bitten histories of textbooks. Disregard the articles you read in your favorite magazines. The history of science is riddled with errors and misconceptions. Facts have been whitewashed by narcissism and nationalism. Brilliant scientists, burdened by procrastination, have practically handed credit for their discoveries over to their more ambitious nemeses. In Everything's Relative, Tony Rothman debunks centuries of commonly held beliefs to reveal the real truths behind the greatest moments in science.

From Einstein's possible misunderstanding of his own theories to actress Hedy Lemarr's role in the invention of the radio-controlled torpedo, Everything's Relative barrels through centuries of legends to reveal the even more fascinating stories behind some of the most important breakthroughs in science.

Some of the surprising truths revealed include:

• Henry Young, the American inventor, discovered radio waves a full half-century before Heinrich Hertz
• Abel Niepce de Saint Victor discovered radioactivity forty years before Henri Becquerel
• The cotton gin existed in India and Asia long before Eli Whitney claimed to have invented it
• Thomas Edison did not invent the first incandescent bulb; he invented the first practical one
• The Koreans invented moveable type half a century before Johannes Gutenberg

Author Biography

TONY ROTHMAN is a physicist and writer. He is the author of seven other critically acclaimed science books and a frequent contributor to leading science publications, including Scientific American and Discover.