Cody Cassidy

Who wore the first pants? Who painted the first masterpiece? Who first rode the horse? Who invented soap? This madcap adventure across ancient history uses everything from modern genetics to archaeology to uncover the geniuses behind these and other world-changing innovations. Who invented the wheel? Who told the first joke? Who drank the first beer? Who was the murderer in the first murder mystery, who was the first surgeon, who sparked the first fire--and most critically, who was the first to brave the slimy, pale oyster? In this book, writer Cody Cassidy digs deep into the latest research to uncover the untold stories of some of these incredible innovators (or participants in lucky accidents). With a sharp sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for the wonders of our ancient ancestors, Who Ate the First Oyster? profiles the perpetrators of the greatest firsts and catastrophes of prehistory, using the lives of individuals to provide a glimpse into ancient cultures, show how and why these critical developments occurred, and educate us on a period of time that until recently we've known almost nothing about.

The Extraordinary People Behind the Greatest Firsts in History

Who Ate the First Oyster?

Paul Doherty

A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco's famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way. Is slipping on a banana peel really as hazardous to your health as the cartoons imply? Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma). Can you die by shaking someone's hand? Answer: Yes. That's because, due to atomic repulsion, you've never actually touched another person's hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a medium-sized hydrogen bomb. If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that, you're approaching the point at which the cookies would break through the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you'd better call an ambulance to Sesame Street.

What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, Or Go Barreling Over Niagara

And Then You're Dead

A detailed guide to surviving history’s most challenging threats, from outrunning dinosaurs to making it off the Titanic alive History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero—at least, not if you know where to go and what to do. In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, drowning during the sinking of the Titanic, falling prey to the Black Death, and more. Using hindsight and modern science to estimate everything from how fast you’d need to run to outpace a T. rex to the advantages of different body types in surviving the Donner Party tragedy, Cassidy gives you a detailed battle plan for survival, helping you learn about the era at the same time. History may be the most dangerous place on earth, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit. You can, and you should. And with a copy of How to Survive History in your back pocket, you just might make it out alive.

How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes

How to Survive History

A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco’s famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios, offering insights into physics, astronomy, anatomy, and more along the way. Is slipping on a banana peel as hazardous to your health as the cartoons imply? Answer: Yes. Banana peels ooze a gel that turns out to be extremely slippery. Your foot and body weight provide the pressure. The gel provides the humor (and resulting head trauma). Can you die by shaking someone’s hand? Answer: Yes. That’s because, due to atomic repulsion, you’ve never actually touched another person’s hand. If you could, the results would be as disastrous as a medium-sized hydrogen bomb. If you were Cookie Monster, just how many cookies could you actually eat in one sitting? Answer: Most stomachs can hold up to sixty cookies, or around four liters. If you eat or drink more than that, you’re approaching the point at which the cookies would break through the lesser curvature of your stomach, and then you’d better call an ambulance to Sesame Street.

What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara

Cine a descoperit focul? Cine a inventat roata? Dar îmbrăcămintea? Cine a realizat prima intervenţie chirurgicală? Cine a pictat prima capodoperă a lumii? Cine a descoperit săpunul? Cine a spus prima glumă? Acest periplu fascinant prin cele mai vechi timpuri ale omenirii valorifică toate resursele disponibile, de la genetica modernă până la mărturiile arheologice, pentru a-i aduce în faţa noastră pe oamenii de geniu din spatele unor descoperiri şi inovaţii care au schimbat fundamental lumea. „Cody Cassidy spune aici povestea unor oameni care au trăit în urmă cu mii şi chiar milioane de ani, ale căror nume nu ne vor fi cunoscute niciodată, dar de ale căror invenţii beneficiem până în ziua de astăzi.” New York Post „Cassidy îi poartă pe cititori într-un tur ameţitor de popularizare a descoperirilor şi invenţiilor din istoria noastră... A face din istorie un obiect de studiu plăcut este adesea greu, dar autorului îi reuşeşte aici de minune. Am citit cartea dintr-o răsuflare şi m-am gândit imediat că ar fi cadoul perfect atât pentru cei mici, cât şi pentru cei mari... Această plimbare relaxată prin timp, dar atent gândită reprezintă un excelent mijloc de a călători, mai ales acum, când suntem cu toţii obligaţi să stăm mai mult acasă.” San Francisco Chronicle „O carte edificatoare şi antrenantă... în demersul său de a aduce la viaţă preistoria, Cassidy dă dovadă atât de iscusinţă, cât şi de cunoştinţe solide legate de ştiinţa din spatele acestor studii de caz antropologice. Cititorul va fi fermecat şi va redescoperi cu bucurie aceste vremuri îndepărtate.” Publishers Weekly

Cody Cassidy

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