A Writer's reasons -- There's more to this story -- Birthing a universe -- Telling it like they thought it was: myths of creation -- Making days: were the calendar makers lunatics or just moonstruck? -- Ionia? What's Ionia? -- The "A" team -- Elementary matters: earth, air, fire, and water, says Empedocles -- Being at sea -- Worshiping numbers -- Pythagoras knows it's round -- Getting atom -- Aristotle and his teacher -- Does it change? No way, says A -- Aristarchus got it right-well, almost! -- Alexander's city -- What's a hero? -- Euclid in his elements -- Archimedes' claw -- Measuring the Earth -- Rome rules -- Longitude and latitude plus two Greek mapmakers -- The greatest -- A saint who was no scientist -- No joke-the Earth is pancake flat! -- Don't worry-the round Earth is back! -- Absolute zero -- An "ox" who bellowed -- Books will do it -- The Antipodes: discovering down under -- Cosmic voyagers: is it fiction, or could it be true? -- Finally! How science works -- The prime number sieve of Eratosthenes.

This book tells the story of the quest to answer an important question: What is this universe of ours all about? From the ancient city of Alexandria with its gigantic lighthouse and steam-powered vehicles, to faraway lands where Hindu and Arab mathematicians invented the number zero, the author invites readers of all ages to meet the forefathers of modern science and experience their greatest discoveries in astronomy, math, and physics.--From publisher description.