This book presents a wonderful way to motivate students to study the history and technology of electricity and electrical devices. While the book does mention the context and development of the relevant technologies, it is not an electrical engineering or physics text. Rather, it is a monument to the great efforts of many people in shaping the modern world. The time period chosen begins at the start of World War I and ends at the completion of World War II, and a good part of the text makes reference to the two world wars as the context for understanding the technologies developed; indeed, six of the ten chapters explicitly use the word “war” in their titles. This is not meant as a criticism, but the reader should properly infer, from the title of the book, the author’s historical perspective.

Chapter 1 concentrates on wireless communications in the Great War. It starts by discussing the role that land communications played in the battles of Tannenberg (East Prussia) and Neuve Chapelle (France). Then, it continues with the development of communications through the ether; counteractive measures, such as eavesdropping and cryptanalysis, are also mentioned. In chapter 2, “Electrical Technologies in Total War,” fire, sound, and gyroscope control are discussed. Nebeker quotes Admiral Jacky Fisher, who predicted that World War I was a war of engineers: “The war is going to be won by inventions.” The chapter concludes by indicating the role that technology plays in mobilizing a nation to war and deploying troops.

Chapters 3 to 8 present the growth of technology during the interwar period. Chapters 3 and 7 cover electrical systems developed by the former Soviet Union--specifically, Russia. Chapters 6 and 8 concentrate on domestic civil applications and the advancement of science, respectively. Chapter 4 is dedicated to the inception and maturity of radio broadcasting, from the perspective of entertainment--the Jazz Age--and as a means of general communication. This chapter concludes with some pleasant memories from radio’s golden age.

The book then shifts to a serious tone, as chapter 5 analyzes the postwar recovery and the Great Depression. Electrical technologies in industry and commerce had become a major concern, which led to the formation of factories and the use of factory work lines. In essence, commercial aspects of electricity no longer catered to the individual; instead, they were the means necessary to improve the standard of living of the masses. The sad historical irony is that for many of those years, most factory workers had to work twice as much to earn the same amount of money. This chapter presents the histories of selected industries during this time period: the electrification of the factory; the introduction of information processing machines and the birth of IBM; electrical transportation; and the interest in fostering economic growth.

Chapters 9 and 10 cover the time period of World War II. With new and improved electrical technologies, warfare was more precise and sophisticated than at any other time in history. Electrical devices were now involved in land, sea, and air combat: electrical devices intercepted airwave messages, and sonar systems detected underwater projectiles and submarines. Control systems of guided missiles, and precise trajectories computed by computers, caused great concern to the warring factions. Battlefields were not just specific fields and hills; for example, the Battle of the Atlantic was a major deciding factor in the war.

In the book’s epilogue, the author points out that 60 nations participated in the 1939 World’s Fair, despite the fact that the world was on the brink of war. Throughout history, technologies have removed the constraints that nature places on human and societal advancement. Thus, the following pattern emerges: where humans have more freedom, one also finds technological advancement.

Nebeker’s insights are refreshing. I recommend this book to history and science students, who are interested in electrical technological advancements during that critical period in world history.