Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World: How Physicists Transformed Everyday Life

Written by Brian Clegg

Narrated by Mark Peachey

The breakthroughs that have had the most transformative practical impacts, from thermodynamics to the Internet.


Physics informs our understanding of how the world works – but more than that, key breakthroughs in physics have transformed everyday life. We journey back to ten separate days in history to understand how particular breakthroughs were achieved, meet the individuals responsible and see how each breakthrough has influenced our lives.


It is a unique selection. Focusing on practical impact means there is no room for Stephen Hawking's work on black holes, or the discovery of the Higgs boson. Instead we have the relatively little-known Rudolf Clausius (thermodynamics) and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (superconductivity), while Albert Einstein is included not for his theories of relativity but for the short paper that gave us E=mc2 (nuclear fission). Later chapters feature transistors, LEDs and the Internet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Oct 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781004062805

Brian Clegg

Brian Clegg has written many science books, published by Icon and St. Martin’s Press. His most recent book for Icon was The Reality Frame. His Dice World and A Brief History of Infinity were both longlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. He has written for Nature, BBC Focus, Physics World, The Times and The Observer.

Reviews for Ten Days in Physics that Shook the World

[icebird24 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Einmal im Schnelldurchlauf durch die Geschichte der Physik. Gut geschrieben und vorgetragen. Habe was gelernt und wurde gut unterhalten. Die Listen sind im Buchformat aber sicher besser.