The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.24 (793 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0307351793 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-04-29 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Tragic genius, cutting-edge science, and the discovery that changed billions of lives–including your own.At the dawn of the twentieth century, humanity was facing global disaster: Mass starvation was about to become a reality. Both men were vilified during their lives; both, disillusioned and disgraced, died tragically. A call went out to the world’s scientists to find a solution. The Haber-Bosch process was also used to make the gunpowder and explosives that killed millions during the two world wars. The Alchemy of Air is the extraordinary, previously untold story of a discovery that changed the way we grow food and the way we make war–and that promises to continue shaping our lives in fundamental and dramatic ways.. Together they discovered a way to make bread out of air, built city-sized factories, and saved millions of lives. This is the story of the two men who found it: brilliant, self-important Fritz Haber and reclusive, alcoholic Carl Bosch. But their epochal triumph came at a price we are still paying
. A veteran science and medical writer, THOMAS HAGER is the author of The Demon Under the Microscope; Force of Nature: The Life of Linus Pauling; and more than a hundred news and feature articles in Reader’s Digest, Journal of the American Medical Association, and many other publications
Fun non-fiction. Old Dawg The history of one of mankind's most important inventions (if not the most important.) Well written for the lay person. A great biographical sketch as well.. Study History or it will repeat itself. The first part of the book shows the unstoppable human mind.The second half shows the worst part of the human mind.. "amazing impact on the world today" according to Amazon Customer. Absolutely fascinating story, amazing impact on the world today.
It's unfortunate that Hager ends his fine book with only a brief look at the deleterious role of nitrogen on the environment. . All rights reserved. (Sept.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. But Hager's story is not only one of triumph, of how Haber and Bosch invented a way to turn air into bread, earning a Nobel Prize and saving millions from starvation. First, life-saving nitrogen is also the main ingredient in explosives, and Hager cogently summarizes the Haber-Bosch process's critical role in both world wars. This is also a