Presents the stories behind forty things that were invented or named by accident, including aspirin, X-rays, frisbees, silly putty, and velcro.

"From the New York Times-bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and Everything Bad Is Good for You, a new look at the power and legacy of great ideas. In this illustrated volume, Steven Johnson explores the history of innovation over centuries, tracing facets of modern life (refrigeration, clocks, and eyeglass lenses, to name a few) from their creation by hobbyists, amateurs, and entrepreneurs to their unintended historical consequences....

Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Winchester illuminates the men who toiled fearlessly to discover, connect, and bond the citizenry and geography of the U.S.A. from its beginnings and ponders whether the historic work of uniting the States has succeeded, and to what degree.

A young aspiring engineer must first conquer her fear of failure.

A twelve-year-old boy, worried that his parents may divorce, discovers that an island in the middle of the lake where he is spending the summer is the testing grounds of the mysterious Dr. Libris, who may have invented a way to make the characters in books come alive.

Children attempt to catch Santa Claus as he delivers their presents on Christmas Eve.

When Rosie is unable to invent a contraption to help one of Aunt Rose's Raucous Riveters friends, she calls on classmates Iggy Peck and Ada Twist to help.

After an inventor creates a machine that allows food to fall from the sky, the machine starts to go out of control and the inventor must find a way to stop it before all the food destroys the Earth.