Energy: A Human History

Once again, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Rhodes (The Making of the Atomic Bomb) takes on entangled issues around the use of science and technology and makes complicated matters more approachable. This latest work details our quest for better energy forms from prehistorical times to the present; from wood and coal to steam and internal combustion engines and other subjects such as wind farms, solar energy, and nuclear fission. Before new systems can take the lead, though, other technologies must improve, too. Coal mines need to be cleared of water; soon, workable steam pump engines appear. Transmitting oil and natural gas across distance requires stronger and bigger pipes; arc welding emerges. Rhodes shares fascinating facts about the cost of caring for horses in 19th-century cities, the link between the appearance of guano as fertilizer in Europe and the catastrophe of the Irish potato famine in the mid-1800s, and why smog was shoved aside for so long as a health issue. The author presents a strong argument for embracing nuclear power to address current environmental concerns.