Robert Curley: 20 books

The technological phenomenon known as the Internet has revolutionized the way people work, play, consume, socialize—essentially the way humans interact in general. Along with unparalleled access to information and such cultural juggernauts as Facebook and YouTube, this technology also has given...

In the 1950s and 1960s and on into the 1970s, the United States was involved in two wars fought far from home—one in aid of South Korea against the neighboring Communist North Korea, and a second waged through the jungles of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Both of these military engagements were a...

Traversing landscapes and expediting travel, railroads have allowed us to conquer once elusive frontiers to improve both transportation and commerce. Railroad design has changed remarkably little in the years since the invention of the steam engine, yet trains remain a prevalent form of transport...

Accounting for more than 90 percent of the world’s energy supply, fossil fuels—coal, petroleum, and natural gas—are not an infinite resource. Formed by the lengthy decomposition of organic matter, fossil fuels are actually limited in availability. Still, nations across the globe are dependent...

Long before they took to the sea and air, warring factions engaged in land-based conflicts that involved close-range combat with rudimentary defenses and weapons. As civilizations have advanced, so too have their military strategies, tactics, and weaponry. Eventually this led to the development of...

The ingenuity evidenced during the Renaissance was not just limited to the fine arts. A number of scientists and inventors also made astonishing breakthroughs in astronomy, medicine, physics, and more. Readers examine the scientific revolution, profiling Isaac Newton, Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo, and many other great thinkers who transformed the scientific and mechanical worlds.

War, while often gruesome and devastating, can also be viewed as a science or art, involving the translation of theory into practice. Even as weapons grow in sophistication over time, war has always involved careful calculations and balancing the interests of the involved party with effective combat...

Humans have long dreamt of communing with the skies and acquiring the ability to fly. The first experiments with balloon flight through the development of the Concorde and everything in between, aviation has transformed the way humans travel, especially over vast distances. This penetrating volume...

The allure of far-off lands, the promise of untapped resources, and a hunger for building global empires prompted Renaissance explorers to journey into the unknown. Battling harsh seafaring conditions, disease, and any number of unknown threats to their health and safety, the individuals profiled in this volume shaped the world map, setting the stage for future voyagers along the way.

With their potential to wreak massive or total devastation, nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons have dramatically escalated the stakes of war. As stockpiles of such weapons continue to grow around the world, especially in the years since the Second World War, countries have recognized the need...

Although conflict was once restricted to land, the introduction of warships and planes eventually expanded the theater of war to include both water and sky. New combat strategies emerged with these changing technologies and dramatically impacted such events as the First World War. This comprehensive...

Even as airlines provide faster means of travel, ships and boats remain as important as ever in transporting passengers and cargo across the world’s bodies of water. While ship design has become increasingly sophisticated with time, everything including the luxury liners, warships, and sailboats...

Humans have long attempted to mechanize calculations—mathematical and otherwise—and build problem-solving machines. Yet it was not until the 20th century, with the advent of the computer, that such technology truly hit its stride. Indispensable to nearly all industry and increasingly vital to...

The rapid development of computer technology since the mid-20th century would not have even been imaginable without the brainpower of individuals dedicated to innovation and turning the seemingly impossible into reality. As far back as the eighteenth century, inventors began setting the stage for...