Publisher's Synopsis
Man's quest for speed is driven by two ambitions. One is the competitive urge to excel - to go as fast as possible by any available means, and preferably to go faster than anybody else. The other, more practical, aim is to make travel and transport as swift and efficient as possible. The two are closely linked, since by pushing technology to the limit to achieve the first, we improve performance in the second, with results that continue to shrink the world.In this book Peter Gosling tells the fascinating story of the key scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs in our drive to conquer distance - from our earliest crude efforts using animal power and the wheel, to harnessing the wind and the waves, on through the watershed of the Industrial Revolution, rail and steam, the invention of the internal combustion engine, through powered flight to rocketry, and on to space travel. We look at developments on land, sea, and air, and the novel "green" solutions that scientists are exploring in order to meet today's environmental challenges. Along the way we meet some of the remarkable men and women behind these breakthroughs, whose vision and determination have helped to shape the modern world. Written in an engaging, non-technical style, The Quest for Speed captures both the thrill of the race and the adventure of science, and points to the social and cultural changes ahead as technology accelerates the pace of life and transforms the human landscape.
