What do you think?
Rate this book
They All Laughed...: From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind the Great Inventions
An enlightening and fun look at scientific discoveries and the often wacky and accidental ways in which they have led to some of the most important inventions--by award-winning journalist Ira Flatow.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
7 people are currently reading
248 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 23, 2013
Written in 1992, "They All Laughed..." is a collection of short chapters that briefly tell the stories of inventions that have changed our world. This was a book I wanted to like a lot (it was written by Ira "Science Friday" Flatow, for goodness sake) but was one I grew more and more frustrated with. The stories were far too short, too glossed over and left me feeling disappointed. Worse, Flatow's writing was filled with clichés and desperately needed a good manuscript editor to tighten up the weak prose.
December 30, 2020
Great stories of innovation and discovery. Broken into easy to read chapters, many topics are discussed. Since it’s publication in 1993, it is interesting to see what only 25 years have changed.
July 12, 2019
Picked this up at a used book sale, because I like Ira Flatow, of NPR's Science Friday (and the PBS show "Newton's Apple" - anyone else besides me remember that show?). It is a an enjoyable read into the history of popular inventions like the television and fax machine. It's a great format for reading while commuting or reading before bedtime, because lots of short chapters, and nothing is so exciting that you will miss your stop or not be able to put the book down to sleep. The style it is written in is very similar to Ira Flatow's broadcast style, so while reading this I could "hear" him talking in my head, which was kind of fun.
The version I had was published in 1993 (do not know if there are later versions that have been updated) and for the most part the history of inventions does not change. There are just some parts that are kind of funny to read. In the discussion of the development of the fax machine (for which there are patents dating back to 1843) Ira speculates on why a version used in the 1860's didn't catch on: "But technological breakthroughs are no guarantee of consumer demand - or else today we'd all be communicating by picture phone." (emphasis mine). Oh Ira, if only you could have seen 20 years into the future where we were all communicating by picture phone. The other anachronism was in the chapter about "The Computer that Saved D-Day" he goes into the history of computer worms, and explains they were originally created as beneficial programs that could allow a program to use unused computer cycles from multiple machines in a networked system (from the days when computers didn't have much computing power). Someone who used the worm technology to distribute a virus "broke the social contract" and Ira goes on to say we just need to stick to the social contract, and adding layers and layers of security would make computer less fun. How innocent we all were back then!
Overall a fun, enjoyable read. I learned a lot, but it didn't feel like learning. Although it is science and history, it is not boring. I recommend it if you are interested in learning a little about how things came to be. If you want an exhaustive, in depth history of a particular invention, this is not the book for you - though it might be a good starting place.
The version I had was published in 1993 (do not know if there are later versions that have been updated) and for the most part the history of inventions does not change. There are just some parts that are kind of funny to read. In the discussion of the development of the fax machine (for which there are patents dating back to 1843) Ira speculates on why a version used in the 1860's didn't catch on: "But technological breakthroughs are no guarantee of consumer demand - or else today we'd all be communicating by picture phone." (emphasis mine). Oh Ira, if only you could have seen 20 years into the future where we were all communicating by picture phone. The other anachronism was in the chapter about "The Computer that Saved D-Day" he goes into the history of computer worms, and explains they were originally created as beneficial programs that could allow a program to use unused computer cycles from multiple machines in a networked system (from the days when computers didn't have much computing power). Someone who used the worm technology to distribute a virus "broke the social contract" and Ira goes on to say we just need to stick to the social contract, and adding layers and layers of security would make computer less fun. How innocent we all were back then!
Overall a fun, enjoyable read. I learned a lot, but it didn't feel like learning. Although it is science and history, it is not boring. I recommend it if you are interested in learning a little about how things came to be. If you want an exhaustive, in depth history of a particular invention, this is not the book for you - though it might be a good starting place.
December 24, 2017
Charming little book. Gift it to the dreamer, inventor or entrepreneur in your life. It will give them hope. And a chuckle or two. A delightful, easy-to-read summary of what people said and wrote about great scientific inventions at the time of their launch. About the telephone (as reviewed in the "Telegrapher," the science journal of the day): "no direct practical application." Being too far ahead of the times can hurt. Many great inventors were deemed failures and odd balls in their own times. The first Xerox machine went on the market in 1949. Carson, the inventor, had to endure two decades of derision. One reviewer called the ugly, mammoth of a machine The Ox Box.
June 28, 2019
What a fun read! Anyone with the slightest interest in inventions will enjoy this book, that examines the origins of "great inventions that have changed our lives," including the telephone, tv, autos, microwave ovens, computers, fax machines, etc. The stories focus on inventors' struggles against tradition, greed, and general nastiness of those who would suppress anything different or anything that might not bring them profit. Though aimed at adults, the book features short self contained chapters, so could be a book for reluctant teen readers who may be interested in the topic to read for history or English class nonfiction requirements.
April 3, 2019
It was an extraordinary book but I don't really enjoy non-fiction so maybe if I did it would have been more of an enjoyable read.
February 10, 2021
Anecdotes about the creation of everyday objects, from the computer to Vaseline. Great fun.
November 26, 2022
Interesting and readable. Still pretty eurocentric unfortunately. At least more of an effort to show multiple players and influences.
May 23, 2022
Although somewhat dated in a few details (although not wrong details) such as when the author writes the fax machine story. It is best to keep in mind the book was originally published in the early 1990s when it was expected for example, that fax machines would become common in the home. The advent of email and computer file sharing basically negated infiltration of fax machines in the home as it is implied in the book. Overall though, it is a good read about some great inventions. There are many similar books on historical trivia, but this book is a notch above the others since it gives the interesting details on many inventions and discoveries and how they came about, and most by accident!
July 16, 2018
I found this book while browsing the shelves of Half-Price Books in Bellevue, Washington. What I was looking for was some light, entertaining non-fiction–something I could read a chapter or essay of and then put down. I had been having trouble maintaining my concentration on a single book for very long, possibly because my work life had been so erratic recently that I was having trouble slowing my mind down to focus on any one thing. This book filled the bill perfectly.
Basically a series of essays by Flatow, host of Talk of the Nation: Science Fridays and former NPR correspondent, in which he examines basic inventions that we’ve grown to accept as necessities from light bulbs to lasers. Oftentimes what we’ve come to know as “the story” of the invention, like Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment, is but a brief moment in the chain of events that led to the mass production or use of the object or phenomena. Flatow makes a wonderful argument that more than the common wisdom “inventor” should be credited with the discovery, while never belittling the genius of creation.
The tone is never dry, and the subjects–blenders, televisions, telephones, Velcro, Teflon, nylon, etc.–are stuff from everyday life. At the least, the book provides some interesting trivia on applied science.
Basically a series of essays by Flatow, host of Talk of the Nation: Science Fridays and former NPR correspondent, in which he examines basic inventions that we’ve grown to accept as necessities from light bulbs to lasers. Oftentimes what we’ve come to know as “the story” of the invention, like Benjamin Franklin’s kite experiment, is but a brief moment in the chain of events that led to the mass production or use of the object or phenomena. Flatow makes a wonderful argument that more than the common wisdom “inventor” should be credited with the discovery, while never belittling the genius of creation.
The tone is never dry, and the subjects–blenders, televisions, telephones, Velcro, Teflon, nylon, etc.–are stuff from everyday life. At the least, the book provides some interesting trivia on applied science.
November 10, 2013
New winner!!! Longest subtitle:
Fun. Oldish. But if you listen to Ira Flatow on NPR, it’s kind of fun to ‘listen’ to this book in your head as you read. He covers the Big Obvious Inventors--Franklin, Bell, Edison--right away, but then moves on to lesser-knowns like John Logie Baird (who may, or may not, have invented television), René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (who noticed that wasps make paper out of vegetable fibers) and Willy Higginbotham (builder of the first video game, in 1958), among others.
Pretty amazing stuff in here, and it’s all presented in a readable format for people like me who don’t know (or care) the difference between an anion and an onion. Flatow also, in the epilogue, mildly castigates American corporations today whose interest is solely in the bottom line, relegating creativity and invention to 9th-class status, almost to the point of penalizing people who come up with new ideas.
Oh, well. Great book for reports, too. I'll have to remember it.
From Light Bulbs to Lasers: The Fascinating Stories Behind Great Inventions That Have Changed Our Lives
Fun. Oldish. But if you listen to Ira Flatow on NPR, it’s kind of fun to ‘listen’ to this book in your head as you read. He covers the Big Obvious Inventors--Franklin, Bell, Edison--right away, but then moves on to lesser-knowns like John Logie Baird (who may, or may not, have invented television), René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (who noticed that wasps make paper out of vegetable fibers) and Willy Higginbotham (builder of the first video game, in 1958), among others.
Pretty amazing stuff in here, and it’s all presented in a readable format for people like me who don’t know (or care) the difference between an anion and an onion. Flatow also, in the epilogue, mildly castigates American corporations today whose interest is solely in the bottom line, relegating creativity and invention to 9th-class status, almost to the point of penalizing people who come up with new ideas.
Oh, well. Great book for reports, too. I'll have to remember it.
July 3, 2008
Did you ever watch Newton's Apple when you were a kid? It was the best show ever for science nerd kids, like me. Also, 3-2-1 Contact was an awesome show. I always wanted to be one of the kids on that show, but again...I was a nerd.
Anyways, Ira Flatow (the author of this book) was the original host of Newton's Apple. I probably had a crush on him. I probably still do.
Oh...about the book...dang it people think of awesome inventions. I don't have that sort or brain. Also, I am cheap. So if it is not a sure thing I am not going to spend my money on it. My boyfriend, Ira Flatow, tells the story behind stuff we use all the time. Super interesting.
Ps...if you are also intrigued by Ira Flatow, tune in to NPR on Fridays. He hosts Science News Friday. Around Salt Lake City you can find it on FM 90.1 from 12 to 2 pm on Fridays.
Anyways, Ira Flatow (the author of this book) was the original host of Newton's Apple. I probably had a crush on him. I probably still do.
Oh...about the book...dang it people think of awesome inventions. I don't have that sort or brain. Also, I am cheap. So if it is not a sure thing I am not going to spend my money on it. My boyfriend, Ira Flatow, tells the story behind stuff we use all the time. Super interesting.
Ps...if you are also intrigued by Ira Flatow, tune in to NPR on Fridays. He hosts Science News Friday. Around Salt Lake City you can find it on FM 90.1 from 12 to 2 pm on Fridays.
October 27, 2013
No they didn't.
For most of the stories, the worst was silence or indifference, and for a lot the stories, the response was funding, marketing, or even legal/patent/market manipulation to shift the profits to someone else. Very few of the inventors were with met with actual, universal derogation. That said, Flatow presents some fairly entertaining episodes around various inventions, in a light, casual way, but with little real depth. A pleasant enough read, but not something I will revisit.
For most of the stories, the worst was silence or indifference, and for a lot the stories, the response was funding, marketing, or even legal/patent/market manipulation to shift the profits to someone else. Very few of the inventors were with met with actual, universal derogation. That said, Flatow presents some fairly entertaining episodes around various inventions, in a light, casual way, but with little real depth. A pleasant enough read, but not something I will revisit.
February 8, 2008
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I'm not totally sure why...maybe it is because my husband is an engineer and I believe in the work of inventing; maybe it's just because I love Science Fridays on NPR. But above all, this book makes you feel smart while still being ultra-readable. Love it.
September 30, 2011
Interesting read on inventors, brief backstories behind their brilliant inventions, and a few things about a couple of inventions/inventors that I bet you never even knew. The tale that I liked the best was the rivalry between Thomas Edison (particularly his hired professional cronies) and George Westinghouse.
April 22, 2013
A fascinating book by Ira Flatow (of NPR's "Science Friday"). You'll read about the inventors, engineers and scientists associated with inventions like the Microwave Oven, Teflon, the Xerox machine and the Waring Blender (invented by bandleader Fred Waring), etc. Also included is the infamous argument between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. Highly recommended!
January 22, 2009
If you ever have wondered where nylon, velcro, tvs, fax machines, etc have come from, you should definitely read this! Small easy to read chapters telling a brief history of how random every day things were invented.
March 19, 2011
A very interesting compendium of the stories behind several modern technological inventions. The writing is sometimes simplistic, sometimes redundant, but there is plenty of very interesting information (my favorites were the chapters about the fax machine, silly putty, and the first video game).
October 12, 2009
Don't know why this book really didn't capture my attention. Got 2/3 of the way through it and didn't finish
January 1, 2012
The story of number of invention that have changed our lives. Light bulbs, television, fax machines, microwave ovens, photocopiers, etc.
March 17, 2014
A great book full of laughs and science!
February 6, 2015
A fast and fun read. The first few chapters are the best. The book was published in 1992, so everything he has to say about computer technology seems quaint now.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews