Twin Tracks is a landmark book of real-world stories that investigates the nature of change and divines as never before the unlikely origins of many aspects of contemporary life. In each of the work's twenty-five narratives, we discover how the different outcomes of an important historical event in the past often come together again in the future.
Each chapter starts with an event -- such as the U.S. attack on Tripoli in 1804 -- that generates two divergent series of consequences. After tracking each pathway as it ranges far and wide through time and space, Burke shows how the paths finally and unexpectedly converge in the modern world.
Twin Tracks pinpoints the myriad ways the future is shaped, whether by love, war, accident, genius, or discovery. For instance, in "The Marriage of Figaro to Stealth Fighter," Burke's twin tracks start with the composer of the opera and the French spy from whose play he stole the plot. The tracks then encompass, among other things, freemasonry, the War of Independence, Captain Cook, jellyfish, Jane Austen, and audio tape. Ultimately, the convergence of the two Figaro tracks sets the stage for the development of Gulf War Stealth aircraft.
Wonderfully accessible and lucidly written, Twin Tracks offers an amusing and instructive new view of the past and the future.
Autorentext
James Burke is the author of several bestselling books, including Circles, American Connections, and The Knowledge Web. He is a monthly columnist at Scientific American and also serves as director, writer, and host of the television series Connections 3 on The Learning Channel. He is the founder of the James Burke Institute for Innovation in Education, whose flagship project, the Knowledge Web, an interactive website, was recently launched. He lives in London.
Inhalt
Contents
Introduction
How to Read This Book
1. 1804: Attack on Tripoli to Fish Sticks
2. 1760: Fake Epic to Organ Transplants
3. 1805: Battle of Trafalgar to Laser
4. 1726: Encyclopedia to Vitamins
5. 1792: Juniper Hall to Jet Aircraft
6. 1750: Smallpox to Big Bang
7. 1784: Sanskrit to Cybernetics
8. 1610: Santa Catharina to Spectroscopy
9. 1686: Political Jingle to Nylon
10. 1703: Kit-Kat Club to Sunglasses
11. 1770: Falklands War to Television
12. 1724: Stone Age Boy to Photocopier
13. 1745: Leyden Jar to Clingwrap
14. 1790: Philadelphia General Advertiser to Chemotherapy
15. 1664: Lens Grinder to Hairdressing
16. 1773: Boston Tea Party to Contact Lenses
17. 1742: Bow Street, London, to Bar Code
18. 1739: The Grand Tour to Liquid Crystal Display
19. 1795: Man in the Iron Mask to Hovercraft
20. 1673: Siege of Maastricht to Vending Machines
21. 1786: The Marriage of Figaro to Stealth Fighter
22. 1780: Edinburgh Oyster Club to DNA
23. 1770: Church Sermon to Helicopter
24. 1771: Pottery to Neon Signs
25. 1676: Theology to Skyscraper
Bibliography
Index