Incredible Inventors (Proudfit)

In 1903, a beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, became the site of history. There, brother Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first powered flight. Others had come before them and flown using gliders. But with their inventions of a lightweight engine and airplane propellers, the Wright brothers started the airplane age. This volume follows their journey to the first powered flight in age-appropriate language and detail. The text is accompanied by historical images and a timeline to aid understanding.

Since the invention of the telephone, there has been controversy over who really invented it: Was it really Alexander Graham Bell? Or was is Elisha Gray-or someone else? But, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the first patent issued to a design for a telephone, making Alexander Graham Bell the man credited with changing communication forever! Readers learn about the early life that led Bell to invent the telephone as well as his other accomplishments, including the successful Bell Telephone Company. Historical images correlate with age-appropriate text and detail.

Thomas Edison was a brilliant inventor. He received over 1,000 patents throughout his life! But he is, perhaps, best known as the inventor-or more accurately, improver-of the light bulb. What's more, he developed a system to bring electric light to entire buildings, and then cities! In this succinct volume, readers encounter the genius of Edison's electric light bulb as well as his early life and other important inventions of his, such as the phonograph. Carefully chosen images complement the achievable text and age-appropriate details.

George Washington Carver didn't invent peanut butter-but, he did make it popular! In addition, he found more than 300 other uses for peanuts, including candy, soap, and even medicine. His humble roots as an enslaved person didn't stop him from becoming a successful agricultural researcher and teacher, introducing crop rotation to the American South and saving the Southern economy when the boll weevil decimated cotton crops. This volume highlights the invention of peanut products in the context of Carver's extraordinary life for young readers.

Grace Hopper was a big part of teams that worked on the earliest computers, including the landmark MARK I and UNIVAC I and II. She developed the compiler and was instrumental in the creation of programming languages that used English words instead of symbols. This innovation made computers and technology much more accessible to everyday people and led to programs, like COBOL, still used today! Readers will be inspired by Hopper's story, told in age-appropriate detail and with accompanying historical and full-color images.

Benjamin Franklin was a writer, Founding Father, scientist, and inventor! He not only invented new things-like bifocals and the armonica-but also improved on inventions others had made. In this informative volume, readers learn about why and how he invented the lightning rod, including key facts about the kite experiment. Additional relevant information about Franklin's life shows readers how influential he was in his time and how his legacy lives on today in both inventions and his role in the creation of the young United States.