The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans

Hammack (Eight Amazing Engineering Stories), a Carl Sagan Award–winning professor of engineering (Univ. of Illinois) and YouTube’s “Engineer Guy,” provides listeners with an educational and entertaining examination of the engineering method as it has evolved from ancient history to the present. The author offers an intriguing perspective on how it is human nature to engineer solutions when confronted with the world’s many problems. Listeners will learn that the “golden rule of thumb” is essential to every historical innovation and invention, from planting crops to processing film to putting microwave ovens in nearly every kitchen. How did master stonemasons build cathedrals hundreds of years ago? How do skyscrapers not fall in the face of 100 mph winds? Why did a daily act such as dinner preparation go from a cooperative family effort to one that became unfairly considered a woman’s task? Narrator Jonathan Todd Ross’s conversational cadence strikes the right note, matching Hammack’s tone and making this an enjoyable listen.