by James Moore and Paul Nero - £12.99 The History Press Ltd (2011)
paperback
ISBN 13: 9780752459905 | ISBN 10: 0752459902
During the Second World War an American psychologist made the amazing discovery that pigeons could be trained to track objects and, when loaded into the nose cone of a missile, guide the weapon to its target. Pigeon-Guided Missiles tells this and other fascinating stories of daring plans from history that could have radically changed the world – yet somehow failed to take off.
Discover British Rail’s plan for a spaceship, how Nelson nearly got a pyramid instead of a column, the scheme to cover Manhattan in a glass dome, and why the Victorian Channel Tunnel hit a dead end. From nuclear-powered cars to Thomas Edison's concrete furniture, this book explores fifty exciting ideas that either became victims of the eccentric figures behind them, succumbed to financial and political misfortune, or were simply just too far ahead of their time.
(Price & availability last checked: June 2019)
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