The First of Everything: A History of Human Invention, Innovation and Discovery

by Stewart Ross

A lively and highly readable account of the origins, invention and discovery of just about everything on the planet, the truly global coverage of The First of Everything ranges from the Big Bang to driverless cars.

The First of Everything follows a context-setting introduction with seven stimulating sections: In the Beginning (The Big Bang to Homo Sapiens), At Home (the first glass windows to dentures and bikinis); Health and Medicine (herbs to heart transplants); Getting About (donkeys to double deckers); Science and Engineering (potter’s wheel to webcam); Peace and War (the first king to fighter-bombers); and Culture (cave painting to rap). This fascinating book takes in the full sweep of human development and ingenuity over twelve millennia; Africa, for example, gave us the first monarch, algebra and great religions emerged from the Middle East, democracy was born in Europe, and America made the first flying machines. More than just a string of dry lists, the colourful text’s intriguing insights and asides make it as enjoyable for the casual browser as the more serious researcher.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

Paperback

Published October 3, 2019

About the author

Stewart Ross has written more than 300 titles, fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults. Many are about (or inspired by) history. He lives near Canterbury, England.

Reviews

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Festa da Criação


No Início era o LUCA, que até parece nome de cão mas não. O LUCA aconteceu há 4,28 mil milhões de anos e foi a primeira forma de Vida que a Terra conheceu, o que faz dele a raiz da árvore genealógica da Existência Terráquea.

O LUCA cresceu, desenvolveu, e milhões de anos mais tarde eis que surge o Homo Habilis. Este nosso primeiro antepassado direto surgiu há 2,1 milhões de anos e distinguiu-se do macaco por um cérebro ligeiramente maior que lhe permitia manipular habilmente algumas ferramentas rudimentares, o que lhe valeu o sobrenome Habilis.

Depois do Habilis foi a vez do Eretus — este surgiu 200 mil anos depois e... além de fazer fogo e fabricar melhores ferramentas, andava de coluna direita (daí o eretus) e até já dizia mamã e papá, assumindo que foram essas as primeiras palavras proferidas pelo primeiro ser falante😉

Finalmente, cerca de 50 000 anos A.C. , eis que surge o Homo Sapiens e foi aí que a Festa começou. Este ser altamente insatisfeito cria por necessidade e vicio e a sua capacidade inventiva desconhece limites — da roda aos carros sem condutor, muita coisa ele engendrou...

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A History of Beginnings


When the Big said Bang a flock of beginnings begun under His Command....

But how many of them do we really know?!

If you’re curious or crazy about beginnings you just found yourself a lil Eden for your (eventually insatiable) curiosity 😉🌟🌟🌟🌟👍

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the things that differentiate us from the majority of the animal kingdom is our use and development of tools that aid us in doing all manner of things. Just on my desk are a plethora of items that have been invented by someone at some point in history. Just take the pencil, it first came about in 1564 in the UK as a piece of graphite. Then the Italians wrapped that in wood to stop getting their hands dirty. Two hundred years after that, the Austrians added clay to the graphite and came up with what we would recognise today.

Ross has split these human achievements into seven sections, In the Beginning, At Home, Health and Medicine, Getting About, Science and Engineering, Peace and War and Culture. The first section is the shortest, more of a marking of time until carbon-based bipeds became the human beings of today. Each section that follows has reams of facts and dates of items and subjects as diverse as door locks, blood groups, kites, bridges and diplomacy and evening the space hopper (remember those?).

I did like this, but in essence, this is a great big list that is full of facts and dates. Sadly there is very little context as to how the thing was first begun or invented and how the subsequent inventions were derived from previous items. That said, that is not the point of this book, if you need that extra depth of information then consult an encyclopaedia of original source of material for more detail. It would be a great source for those doing quizzes. 2.5 stars

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is so unreliable. I don't see the point of listing things without a clear background on how they came into existence.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise succinct reading, covering all topics from machines to medicines and everything in between. The item/topic is in bold on each page for easy reference

[Alona Tytarenko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is great for people who can read something once and remember everything. However, for someone like me, it feels a bit pointless. There’s no real story behind the inventions—just a list of country names and years—which makes it hard to retain anything. I would have preferred fewer inventions but with detailed stories to help them stick in my memory. It’s the kind of book you read and forget. Disappointing.

[Caeli Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nonfiction book that told us the first thing of everything. I like this kind of book since sometimes I'm wondering about the first thing of everything.

I didn't really read it from the beginning to the end of this book. I just read some part that interesting for me.

Overall, it's an interesting book for me

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed from library as digital download so not ideal for timed reading.
Would suit best as quirky reference for bookshelf - a nice alternative to consulting Google for those curious bedtime questions from kids.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam packed with interesting firsts, I chose this book to spark ideas for my monthly quiz night questions. I've marked many items and usually follow up online for more details. Kudos to the author for choosing topics well.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the information in this book is fascinating, the way in which it is presented is not the best and certainly isn't overly conducive to reading aloud. It wasn't our favourite book.