Research

Invention in Action

The book American Bridge will explore the reinvention of building as a founding act of nineteenth-century industrialization and nation-building. These are inextricably bound to the evolutionist and nationalist narratives that shape our understandings of technology, landscape, and each other.

The lattice, known as an “American bridge,” startled innovators around the globe. Designed for mass construction, the lattice sparked an exchange of ideas that made possible the explosive growth of transportation networks. It inspired nineteenth-century technologists to transform traditional construction processes and build extraordinarily long and tall structures.

American Bridge will tell a landmark tale of technological creativity as it reveals the origins of elements that support our world: the beam, the truss, the skeleton frame, understandings of evolution, and a belief in a world defined by nation-states. The book will provide for the first time a coherent view of the network of inventors who developed the strategies, structures, and analytical techniques that culminated in world-renowned icons such as the Eiffel Tower.

MIT Press/Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian Institution will publish American Bridge in 2025.

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