An Uncommon History of Common Things

Some 30,000 years ago, deep in the prehistory of humankind, an individual crammed a sharpened stone into a split in a sturdy piece of wood - and found that this new handled axe made quicker work of cutting than a hand-held rock alone. Many of our most ordinary tools and traditions had equally fascinating starts, and they’re yours to investigate in An Uncommon History of Common Things - a delightfully different kind of reference to hundreds of customs, inventions, and styles that reflect human innovation across the ages. Would you believe that indoor plumbing dates at least as far back as 2600 B.C.? That we can thank medieval scribes for punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words? Did you know that the classic American front porch is an architectural tradition from Africa? That an early version of pizza was baked on warriors’ shields…and that an apparatus designed to intimidate enemy soldiers became a beautiful toy - the kite? An Uncommon History of Common Things is a rich and lively read for history buffs, pop culture lovers, and all seekers of littleknown lore. Whether sampled at random or enjoyed from cover to cover, this quirky compendium will inform, amuse, astonish - and change the way you think about human ingenuity.