The Wonderful Century

Alfred Russel Wallace

Part One: Successes; 1. Modes of Travelling 2. The Advance in Locomotion on the Ocean 3. Labour-Saving Machinery 4. The Conveyance of Thought 5. Fire and Light 6. New Applications of Light – Photography 7. Light: Its Nature and Properties 8. Physical Principles and Their Applications 9. The Importance of Dust: A Source of Beauty and Essential to Life 10. Some of the Chief Problems and Discoveries of Chemistry 11. Electricity: The Science of the Century 12. Astronomy: The Solar System 13. The Sun’s Nature and Constitution 14. The Stars 15. The Structure of the Heavens 16. Geology: The Glacial Epoch, and the Antiquity of Man 17. Evolution and Natural Selection 18. Popular Discoveries in Physiology 19. The Nineteenth Compared with Preceding Centuries; Part Two: Failures; 20. The Neglect of Phrenology 21. The Opposition to Hypnotism and Physical Research 22. Militarism – The Curse of Civilisation 23. The Demon of Greed 24. The Plunder of the Earth – Conclusion; Appendix; Index