Reviewed by Richard Tutin
Have you ever wondered, as you do your current DIY project, about how nails were made? The same question could be asked about screws and string that we often use but don’t think about how they came to be part of our arsenal to make things or do running repairs. Award winning engineer and broadcaster Roma Agrawal brings these everyday items and more to life as she chronicles how they came to be important and often indispensable in the galaxy of human inventions.
Agrawal doesn’t think small in this book. She thinks big as well because when it comes to engineering feats such as building bridges, roads and towers the basic materials that are used are related to those we use in our homes to hang our art works or tie up the roast we will put into the oven for the evening meal.
A lot of research has gone into each of the easy-to-read chapters of this book. Agrawal tells a good and interesting story. It’s one of those books where we can honestly say ‘I didn’t know that’ as we peruse the facts she has unearthed along the way.
The next time I look at the cables that hold a suspension bridge together I will be reminded of its relationship to the humble piece of string I use to bind up a parcel. Both come from the same derivatives though the materials used are vastly different. Nails and rivets can be treated in the same way. Each has their place but again they are related to each other.
Having forged her professional life in what traditionally has been regarded as a “man’s” world Agrawal is keen to show that many important inventions were initially conceptualised and made by women. The dish washer, now a staple of any kitchen, was developed, manufactured and promoted by Josephine Cochran who was looking for a way to prevent her delicate dishes from being chipped as they were washed after dinner parties.
Men and women have played important roles as new inventions have been conceptualised and patented. This includes the heart-lung machine and the breast pump. Both are now well-established medical aids.
Each item that Agrawal brings to the collection of items has a long history even though some of them are often thought of as modern inventions. It is this history that highlights the quest that humans have engaged in to make lives easier and more comfortable. Each age has often added refinements to improve the design and create more uses for the object. Going from string and ropes to wire cables is a good example as is the improvements to lens that enable those with poor sight to see more clearly.
In bringing these stories together in one volume Agrawal praises the depth of human invention and thinking while reminding us that we are the beneficiaries of the hard work that went into the refining of items that are often very important to everyday life.
Roma Agrawal is an engineer, author and presenter who is best known for working on the design of The Shard, Western Europe’s tallest tower. She studied engineering at Imperial College London and physics at the University of Oxford. She has given talks to thousands at universities, schools and organisations around the world including TEDx. She has also presented numerous shows for the BBC, Channel 4 and Discovery.
Nuts and Bolts
Roma Agrawal
(2023)
Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN 978 152934 008 2
$32.99; 301pp