Genius Transportation Inventions

Book excerpt: 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! Fact-packed text and fun illustrations reveal the designs that didn't get off the ground (like nuclear cars and flying submarines) and daredevil ideas (like jetpacks). Chart the progress of transportation, from chariots and dugout canoes to bullet trains and spacecraft.