Almost Underwear

By Jonathan Roth

A piece of cloth links the Wright brothers, the moon, and Mars.

4.4/5 Goodreads · 184 ratings

40 pages

$18.99Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Discover the incredible journey of a simple piece of cloth, originally meant for underwear, that became part of the Wright brothers' Flyer. This fabric traveled to the moon with Neil Armstrong and now explores Mars. Uncover the hidden history and scientific marvels that connect these monumental events, stitching together a tale of innovation and exploration.

From the publisher

With NASA photos and playful illustrations throughout, here is an incredible slice of hidden history and an immersive introduction to the science of air and space for all ages. One day in 1903 the Wright brothers entered a department store in Ohio to buy a bolt of fabric. The plain muslin cloth was most often used to make underwear. As it happens, the Wright brothers were about to wrap the simple cloth around the ribs of a mechanical ‘wing’ and dramatically change the world. Sixty-six years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong took a big leap onto the moon. With him was a swatch of the exact fabric the bicycle mechanics had purchased in 1903. Fifty-two years after that, in 2021, a remote-controlled car-sized explorer landed on Mars. Attached to the underside of a cable was a tiny piece of very old cloth–cloth that had almost become underwear. Almost Underwear is the story of that incredible piece of fabric, and the historic ‘firsts’ it stitches together.

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