This unique book provides an accessible introduction to both the scientific background and the key people involved in the discovery and use of radiation and radioactivity. It begins by providing a short history of radiation exposures and radiation poisoning; from the early inappropriate use of X-rays and radium cures through the misadventures of the Manhattan Project and the Chernobyl disaster, to the high-profile and deliberate poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in London with polonium-210, which gave rise to worldwide media attention. The chapters provide a catalogue of deliberate criminal acts, unfortunate accidents, and inadvertent radiation exposures, exploring well-known events in detail, as well as some not so well-known occurrences. It works through the topics by focusing on human stories and events and their biological impact. In addition, it covers descriptions of the beneficial uses of radiation and radioactivity. This book can be enjoyed by any reader with a general interest in science, as well as by students and professionals within the scientific and medical communities. Key features Authored by a subject area specialist who has worked in both clinical practice and academia and was involved with the national media following incidents of national and international importance Provides a unique human perspective into well-known and some lesser known events and a concise history of the discovery of radiation and the events that followed Adds scientific and medical background to a subject of high media interest

"A powerful, revealing story of hope, love, justice, and the power of reading by a man who spent thirty years on death row for a crime he didn't commit"--

During the early 1940s high in the remote Welsh mountains one of the greatest British inventors of the twentieth century lived in seclusion. With Britain at war, Harry Grindell Matthews was the classic stereotype of the British Inventor; eccentric, determined and other-worldly but his inventions make for impressive reading: The world's first mobile phone, Automatic Pilot, Submarine Detection, Aerial Defence Systems, A 'Death Ray', And much, much more - So revolutionary and far-reaching were his ideas that the British Government dismissed him as a crank. At a time when British boffins were frantically trying to develop Radar, Sonar, long-range weapons, defence systems and wireless communication, the government shunned him. His death, from a heart attack, in 1941 was to rob the Allies of his amazing inventions that could have shortened the war. Using disclosed files marked 'secret' held at the National Archives in London, newly discovered documents and personal recollections from those who knew him, 'The Death Ray - The Secret life of Harry Grindell Matthews' is a gripping account of one of the greatest, visionary, inventors of the twentieth century.

James Bond would have died a thousand deaths if not for Q, the genius behind the pen grenades and weaponized sports cars. The author demonstrates how science and technology have been as important to 007 as good looks, shaken martinis, and beautiful women.

Bob Howard started Wang Labs with An Wang, the cable tv business with Milt Shapp, and invented the dot matrix and laser printers. Along the way he partnered with Howard Hughes and Rupert Murdoch among others. Bob's inventions affect us all in many ways every day. The industries he started employ hundreds of thousands of people.

The Cowboy Gang was a pack of hard-riding thieves and killers headed by an odd threesome: the cantankerous Old Man Clanton, the life-loving, wild giant of a man called Curly Bill Brocius, and the cultured sharpshooter with the hair-trigger temper, Johnny Ringo. Each was a very different breed of man, but with one thing in common: an insatiable craving for excitement and danger. They rode herd over the Arizona Territory, robbing, fighting and killing . . . until the day Wyatt Earp rode into town.

Ocean's 11 meets Spy School in this hilarious illustrated middle-grade series featuring the world's greatest minds. "Let the official record show that, I, Nikki Tesla, did not intend to destroy the world."There are only so many times a kid can invent an instrument of global destruction without getting grounded. So when Nikki's death ray accidentally blows up her bedroom (if you can call a pet ferret with an itchy trigger finger an accident), she's sent to the only place that can handle her. Genius Academy is a school for history's greatest brains. Leo da Vinci? Charlotte Darwin? Bert Einstein? All extraordinary. Yet even among her fellow prodigies, Nikki feels like an outsider thanks to a terrible secret she can't let anyone discover. Ever. But when her death ray is stolen, Nikki must stop worrying about fitting in and learn to play nice with her new classmates. Because it doesn't take a genius to track a thief around the world, outwit the authorities, and keep a French fry-fanatic ferret happy. It takes all of them.