How Was it Done? [antikvár]

Introduction A This is a book for everyone who has ever looked with wonder at the world around them. It tells how people have overcome what often appear to be impossible odds to help to create that world. There are tales of ingenuity and toil on a grand scale: monumental buildings and great cities, created by armies of labourers using a few simple tools. The Pyramids and the Colosseum, built thousands of years ago, are imposing reminders of our predecessors' determination and vision; the 1 Sth-century octagonal dome of Florence Cathedral remains one ofthe most complex pieces of architectural engineering ever attempted. More recently, engineers have cut mighty canals and laid railways across continents; their epic struggles to overcome all obstacles exemplify the human drive to succeed. There are epic stories of single-minded determination. Polynesian and Viking sailors crossed the oceans in small boats, without navigational instruments. Hamiibal took an army of elephants over the Alps, and Samurai dedicated their whole lives to learning the art of war. Scientists like Galileo and Darwin challenged the established order with their ideas. All such achievements are based on perseverance, intelligence and unshakable self-belief. how was it done? is notsoMy concerned with the great breakthroughs in technology, art or thought. It also features the daily challenges which people have always had to meet: eating, keeping clean and getting dressed. How did people of the past light their homes at night, andhowdid they find out the date and the time? What did they do when they were ill, and how could they seek justice if they felt wronged? The answers to all these questions -and many more - are given in this lavishly illustrated and vividly written reference volume, which the entire family will find useful and informative. Above all, how was it done? brings the past to life as it charts the progress of civilisation, saluting the unsung heroes and heroines as well as the geniuses behind the human story-from the time ofthe first hunters to the modem age.