- Airships
- Nuclear fission
- Supersonic flight
Inventions that turned disastrous:
- Leaded gasoline
- DDT
- Chlorofluorocarbons
Inventions we have long been promised (and that would be highly beneficial):
- Travel in vacuum (hyperloop)
- Nitrogen-fixing cereals
- Nuclear fusion
Finally, he offers a "wish list" of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human ingenuity--and how we can, and must, better align our expectations with reality.