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Tin cans were first produced in London in 1813. But they had to be opened with a hammer and chisel, because the can opener wasn't invented until 1855! Check out other amazing engineering innovations, such as a popular soft drink originally sold as a "brain tonic," an 18th-century battery called a voltaic pile, and a design from 1596 for the first flushing toilet. Fact-packed text and fun illustrations reveal clever discoveries that changed the worldand weird ideas that didn't (like Nikola Tesla's earthquake machine or Thomas Edison's giant singing dolls) . Learn how wonders of engineering have helped us improve our livesfrom growing food to powering machinery.