Ever wondered how the many electrical, mechanical and even digital items we use today were ‘invented’, back in the day? After all, we can’t live without most of them, including the wheel that is essential to all inventions, the computer we use to surf the internet and, above all, the cameras that capture important moments of our lives? With the help of Readers’ Green Lantern’s Book of Inventions, join the superhero as he explains the origin of all things that are now part of our lives, but back in the day were just an idea!

Written by Clare Hibbert, this book uses Green Lantern’s expertise to take the readers back in time and let them understand what the reasons behind that particular invention were. Take the lighthouse, for instance. It was invented 2500 years ago and has been updated according to the technological advancements made over time.

Then there was the invention of the light bulb, which changed a lot of other things as well, because it enabled other scientists to come up with their inventions. According to this book, important things such as laser beams, cameras CDs and DVDs wouldn’t have been possible without the creation of a light bulb and we should thank Mr Thomas Edison for that!

And then there are the inventions related to ‘sound’ such as the telephone (invented by Alexander Graham Bell) and this book explains how ‘Morse Code’ inspired the creator to take the giant leap of faith.

Also discussed here are the man-made inventions for the battlefield, such as battle tank and missiles, the different one connected to travelling from one place to another and also to outer space, and most importantly, making power for all these inventions to operate smoothly. Don’t be surprised to read about the different vehicles used for travel on land, air and water and how they were created because, without them, life would have been extremely difficult!

Packed with appropriate illustrations, easy-to-read text, and information about the Green Lantern Corps as well as Justice League on the sidebars, this book is exactly what you should read during the pandemic break that we all are in. If there is a word that you don’t understand, turn to the glossary at the end to know about it.

The next time you use something that is mentioned in this book, think about the time when it wasn’t created and people had to go the ‘hard’ way to get things done. It will make you appreciate it more!

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 28th, 2020