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Who Invented Underpants?: The Weird Trivia of Human Invention from Fire to Fast Food (and Everything In Between)
A comprehensive collection of fun facts about the origins of pretty much everything, from windows to washing machines to websites. This fact-packed collection recounts the origins, invention, and discovery of just about everything, from the big bang to driverless cars. With sections covering topics such as the arts, sports, weapons, buildings, medicine, food, and many more, you can find out intriguing answers to questions material was the first clothing made out of?Who invented bathtubs?Who paved the first road?What came wine or whiskey?Perfect for history buffs, science lovers, or all-around trivia junkies, this entertaining and enlightening collection is for curious minds wondering about the mysteries of the beginning of all things.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryTrivia
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2020
174 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Stewart Ross
366 books36 followersStewart 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.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2024
If you want to refresh the reading material in your bathroom, this is an excellent book for that purpose. It's filled with fun and fascinating trivia, as well as weird and wacky facts about the "firsts" in everything from amusement parks to windcatchers—6,000 facts in all.
Author Stewart Ross actually advises readers not to read it cover to cover, which I did because I was reading it on a Kindle and it's just easier that way. But if you have the paper version, he encourages you to just flip through the book at random, which is the best way to read it. No doubt some chapters will be more interesting to you based on your personal interests. For example, the section on transportation was a little boring for me, while the sections on writing and education were riveting.
Just to give you an idea of the oddities you'll find in this little treasure of a book (and there are so many facts that this is not a spoiler as much as something to whet your appetite!):
• At the end of the first millennium CE, Persian cavalrymen were the first to wear high heels—to help their feet stay in the stirrups while riding horses. And you thought high heels were just uncomfortable fashion for women!
• The first recorded appearance of a printed T-shirt is in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," in which workers wear great T-shirts bearing the word "Oz."
• The sweet orange was created by the Chinese in about 350 BCE when they crossed a mandarin orange with a pomelo.
• The idea of the greenhouse effect of pollutants in the atmosphere was first noted in 1896 by a Swedish chemist.
• Using the words "right" and "left" to denote political positions first occurred in 1789 in France based on the seating arrangements of the French National Assembly meeting.
• The first criminal identified with fingerprinting was in 1888 in France.
• The earliest dictionary was compiled in 2300 BCE by the Sumerians in what is now modern-day Iraq.
• The first bagpipes were heard in Turkey around 1000 BCE—not Scotland.
This is an incredibly well-researched and intriguing book for curious minds that will allow you to impress your friends with oddball facts and figures.
Author Stewart Ross actually advises readers not to read it cover to cover, which I did because I was reading it on a Kindle and it's just easier that way. But if you have the paper version, he encourages you to just flip through the book at random, which is the best way to read it. No doubt some chapters will be more interesting to you based on your personal interests. For example, the section on transportation was a little boring for me, while the sections on writing and education were riveting.
Just to give you an idea of the oddities you'll find in this little treasure of a book (and there are so many facts that this is not a spoiler as much as something to whet your appetite!):
• At the end of the first millennium CE, Persian cavalrymen were the first to wear high heels—to help their feet stay in the stirrups while riding horses. And you thought high heels were just uncomfortable fashion for women!
• The first recorded appearance of a printed T-shirt is in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," in which workers wear great T-shirts bearing the word "Oz."
• The sweet orange was created by the Chinese in about 350 BCE when they crossed a mandarin orange with a pomelo.
• The idea of the greenhouse effect of pollutants in the atmosphere was first noted in 1896 by a Swedish chemist.
• Using the words "right" and "left" to denote political positions first occurred in 1789 in France based on the seating arrangements of the French National Assembly meeting.
• The first criminal identified with fingerprinting was in 1888 in France.
• The earliest dictionary was compiled in 2300 BCE by the Sumerians in what is now modern-day Iraq.
• The first bagpipes were heard in Turkey around 1000 BCE—not Scotland.
This is an incredibly well-researched and intriguing book for curious minds that will allow you to impress your friends with oddball facts and figures.
April 22, 2021
A great bed time book!
Lots of interesting information, this book was informative and amusing.
Lots of interesting information, this book was informative and amusing.
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July 20, 2024It is what it is: a collection of facts you could have googled yourself.
October 3, 2021
I expected more detailed information on a few inventions rather than a single paragraph on hundreds of things. I read a page and that was it.
September 1, 2022
Lots of great trivia. This is my type of book. Fun to browse.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews