Smithsonian Timelines of Science

Smithsonian Timelines of Science -  The Ultimate Visual Guide to the Discoveries that Shaped the World
Published at DK Canada

About the book

From the discovery of penicillin to the advent of the Internet, science has been an invaluable part of the human experience.

Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution and highlighting the theories, breakthroughs, and key thinkers that shaped the history of science, Timelines of Science is an informative guide to the history of scientific discovery and technology that follows the path chronologically, and explores everything from ancient Greek geometry to quantum physics.

Filled with striking visuals, including specially commissioned photography, arresting infographics, and illustrations that illuminate technological discovery, Timelines of Science includes major advances in all the sciences, including biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy.

My Thoughts

Do you have a child highly interested in everything that is related to science?  If so, I have the best book for him/her – Smithsonian Timelines of Science.   This book will provide a detailed view of the timelines in scientific explorations as well as the inventions made through the years.   It covers everything from the early times until 2013 and will allow your child to follow the story of science as it unfolded through the years.  Also included in this book are detailed explanations of key scientific theories and concepts.  Check out the table of contents to see how the information is presented:

1. 2.5 MYA – 799 CE Before Science Began: Early Metallurgy, Story of the Wheel, Story of Geometry, Understanding Simple Machines
2. 800 – 1542 The European and Islamic Renaissance: Understanding Stars, Story of Gears
3. 1543 – 1788 The Age of Discovery: Story of Anatomy, Measuring Instruments, Medicine, Understanding Planetary Orbits, Story of Measuring Time, Microscopes, Understanding Newtons’s Laws of Motion, Navigational Tools, Meteorological Instruments
4. 1789 – 1894 The Age of Revolutions: Fossils, Story of the Engine, Understanding Compounds and Reactions, Story of Calculating Machines, Understanding Cells, Understanding Evolution, Surgery, Story of Sound Recording
5. 1895 – 1945 The Atomic Age: Understanding Electromagnetic Radiation, Flying Machines, Understanding Relativity, Understanding Atomic Structure, Story of Plastics, Understanding Radioactivity
6. 1946 – 2013 The Information Age: Understand DNA, Story of Oceanography, Story of Space Exploration, Communication, Understanding Global Warming, Story of Robotics, Understanding Cosmology
7. Reference: Measurements and Units, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Space, Earth Science, Who’s Who, Glossary, Index

The book is designed in order to present a visual timeline.  The three-tiered timeline will guide the reader through the most important events in scientific discoveries, bring major developments to life, tell stories of experimentation and innovation and reveal the people who helped our scientific history to advanced to the place it is today.  

For the specific themes mentioned for each section in the list above, you will get more detailed pages on it.  With these pages, you can enhance your knowledge on specific subjects.   For example, in a couple of weeks, we will embark on a weekly discovery on weather.  One specific week, we will concentrate on meteorological instruments.  Well in the section for the years 1543-1788 there is a two-pages dedicated on meteorological instruments and you can observe older and newer instruments that help to predict the weather. 

The book is definitively packed with detailed information and fun things to read.   It is perfect for the young scientist growing in your home, for your personal library, and for the adult passionate with science in your life.   I find this book very interesting because not only can you follow the timeline of scientific discoveries through the ages but you can also read more about the people, the experiments and the science behind them.   You will be exposed to what some scientists have said, discover the instruments used through the ages, explore drawings, images and graphs that will help you to learn more about science.   From an homeschooler’s point of view, this book is definitively a keeper and I highly recommend it!

The Smithsonian Timelines of Science is available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned title for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.