"The greatest technical discontinuity in history took place between 1867 and 1914. This era was distinguished by the most extraordinary concatenation of scientific and technical advances the synergy of which produced bold and imaginative innovations resulting in profound socio-economic impacts. Detailed examinations of these epoch-making advances start with electricity (dynamos, steam turbines, transformers, light bulbs, electric motors, power plants, transmission) and internal combustion engines (automotive designs by Otto, Diesel, Daimler, Maybach. Benz, Ford, aeroengines) before looking at inventions in material production, from metallurgy (affordable steel, aluminum) and cement to powerful explosives and the synthesis of ammonia and at advances in information (from papermaking and typesetting to photographs and movies) and communication (from telephones, phonographs and records to radio). Post-World War I inventions and innovations transformed all of these techniques by making them more efficient, more durable, more reliable, more affordable, and environmentally more acceptable, and brought new accomplishments in energy conversions (oil and gas industry, gas turbines, nuclear electricity generation), materials (new ways of steel production, plastics,herbicides, pesticides, silicon), rationalized production (automation, robotization, quality control) and transportation (freeways, jetliners, rapid trains, large tankers, container shipping), while the advances in solid-state electronics enabled the ageof computing, microprocessors and access to instant global communication and information (personal computers, mobile phones, WWW). The Age of Synergy and the post-1914 transformations technical transformation created a new, increasingly anthropogenic, world of high-energy societies whose most worrisome obverse has been the large-scale environmental degradation"-- Creating and Transforming the Twentieth Century combines two of Vaclav Smil's seminal works in a revised and expanded edition. Creating the Twentieth Century explores the period between 1867 and 1914, a time of unparalleled innovation that laid the groundwork for modern civilization. It investigates the birth of an expansive society driven by the synergy of fuels, science, and technical innovation. Key inventions from this era include dynamite, the telephone, photographic film, and the first light bulbs in the 1870s, followed by electricity-generating plants, electric motors, steam turbines, and cars in the 1880s. The period of extraordinary discovery continues into the early 20th century with the advent of airplanes, tractors, radio signals, and plastics. Smil systematically examines four fundamental classes of innovations: the formation and standardization of electric systems, the rapid adoption of internal combustion engines, the surge in chemical syntheses and material substitutions, and the dawn of the information age. This interdisciplinary account highlights the epochal consequences of these advancements, leading to high-energy societies engaged in mass production aimed at improving living standards.Transforming the Twentieth Century investigates how these technical advances shaped the decades that followed. It examines how the 20th century differed from the preceding 100 years due to unprecedented combinations of technical progress. Smil discusses the remarkable pace and ambition of 20th-century advancements, which elevated industrial production to new heights and tackled previously insurmountable challenges. He addresses the themes of electricity, engines, materials, and information techniques, and critically examines the contradictory consequences of technological progress--including liberating simplicity versus overwhelming complexity, unprecedented affluence versus economic disparities, and increased security versus new fears. This new edition contains numerous updates to the original books and features a new preface and a final chapter examining key themes in light of major 21st-century events and publications. Now in a single volume, these classic texts remain central to Smil's acclaimed oeuvre, and their lessons are perennially fascinating. Creating and Transforming the Twentieth Century combines two of Vaclav Smil's seminal works--Creating the Twentieth Century and Transforming the Twentieth Century--in this revised and expanded edition. Covering technical advances that shaped the period from 1867 through the end of the 20th century, this new edition contains numerous updates and features a new preface and a final chapter examining key themes in light of major 21st-century events and publications. Now in a single volume, these classic texts remain central to Smil's acclaimed oeuvre, and their lessons are perennially fascinating. Autorid: Vaclav Smil