Incredible inventions

Printing words in books originated in China with the invention of movable type. But books aren't the only way we've communicated throughout history. Find out who invented the first radio, which complicated code took 267 years to crack, and how cloth weaving inspired computer programs. Learn more about the methods and machines people have used to communicate?from cave paintings and the earliest written alphabets to TVs and computers.

Before magnifying glasses, how did people make objects look larger? The ancient Romans filled glass bowls with water. Then microscopes and telescopes came along. But optical innovation didn't stop there. Learn how many lightbulb designs Thomas Edison tested, how spies used microfilm to carry secret messages, how satellites let us look at Earth from space, and more! Follow the trail of inventions and devices that have enabled us to see everything from distant stars to tiny cells.

Bicycles were only invented about two hundred years ago?and the first ones didn't have tires or brakes! But bikes aren't the only way we've tried to conquer the roads, seas, and skies. You'll discover how slow the earliest steam locomotives were, how Leonardo da Vinci designed a flying machine inspired by bats and birds, how the US Department of Defense invented GPS, and more! Chart the progress of transportation, from chariots and dugout canoes to bullet trains and spacecraft.