BLACKWELLS'' BOTM A 2022 BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR: NEW SCIENTIST * WATERSTONES * SUNDAY TIMES''A splendid idea, vividly carried out: I enjoyed this book enormously- PHILIP PULLMAN''A rich history of beautiful discoveries'' ROBIN INCE''An all-action thriller, laced with some of the most profound ideas humans have ever had- BRIAN ENOHow did a piece of gold foil completely change our understanding of atoms? What part did a hot air balloon play in the discovery of cosmic rays? How do we know all that we know about the world today?It-s not simply because we have the maths - it-s because we have done the experiments.Accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy introduces us to the creative and curious people who, through a combination of genius, tenacity and luck, staged the groundbreaking experiments of the twentieth century. From the serendipitous discovery of X-rays in a German laboratory, to the scientists trying to prove Einstein wrong (and inadvertently proving h
