ir Isaac Newton once said that if he had seen farther, it was because he had stood on the shoulders of giants. What went before clearly determined what happened next. So, as a tumultuous century draws to a close, we thought it would be intellectually stimulating, and just plain fun, to review the stunning scientific and technological innovations of the past 100 years. Hence this engaging and beautiful photo essay—a special millennium bonus issue for our subscribers.

     I remember the advent of television when I was a kid—those fuzzy pictures on those tiny screens that required endless fiddling with rabbit-ear antennas. In time, of course, tv revolutionized our world. So, too, with the innovation now sweeping the globe: the Internet. Yes, it's irritatingly slow and prone to crash. But does anyone doubt it is the transcendent technology of our time?

     In the broad sweep of the 20th century, there were many other remarkable innovations, some of them so pervasive we scarcely remember that society once carried on bravely without them. The zipper is one mundane example. Or how about the invention of the Xerox machine? Or penicillin? Or Henry Ford's assembly line? Or the laser, which was initially described as a solution looking for a problem? You get the idea. Of course, not every innovation was beneficent: Nuclear weapons and V-2 rockets are also part of the legacy.

     It was a pleasure for us to put together this issue. We hope you'll savor it as much as we did.

Editor-in-Chief