They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators

They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators

by David Lefer

4.6 (115)

4.6 stars from 115 reviews


$2.99Deal83% off peak

Last checked: Jul 8, 2026

Price history: $2.99 $17.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Malcolm Gladwell
  • Bill Bryson
  • Walter Isaacson

Fans of these books will like this...

  • The Innovators
  • A Brief History of Nearly Everything
  • The Code Breaker

Perfect for you if...

  • You love learning how things actually work and want to understand the human stories behind the world you live in.
  • You're fascinated by overlooked figures in history and enjoy being surprised by who really invented what.
  • You want inspiration without the self-help formula: real examples of how people built things that changed everything.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer narrative-driven storytelling and want deep character development over surveying a broad historical landscape.
  • You're looking for a focused deep-dive into one particular invention or inventor, rather than a sweeping overview.
  • You find illustrated histories less engaging than dense, traditional text-based narratives.

About this book

An illustrated history of American innovators spanning two centuries, featuring both well-known and lesser-known figures who shaped the nation. The book covers the real inventor of the steam engine, the creator of the bra, the founder of modern banking, and the developer of the computer operating system, among many others. The work explores surprising truths behind major creations that defined the modern world and examines lessons learned from studying great entrepreneurs and innovators of the past two centuries. The book is extensively designed and illustrated.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$8.99$17.99May '20Dec '22May '25Jul '26
$2.99$17.99

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 83% off peak. Price has dropped 14 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 159 days. Typically stays discounted for 62 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#40,374#603,632#1,166,890Apr '18Oct '23May '25May '26

Currently around #108K in the Kindle store — a niche title. Climbing the charts — 23% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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4.0★4.5★5.0★Jun '23Oct '24Dec '24Dec '25RatingReviews

Currently 4.6★ from 115 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

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Free$8.99$17.99May '20Dec '22May '25Jul '26PredictedJul '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $17.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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David Lefer

1 book on Vagrant Press

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