Can you really create anything you want if you have a library?

A man named Thomas Thwaites decided to build a toaster, from scratch. He went to an appliance store and bought the cheapest toaster he could find and then worked on reverse engineering it. His goal was to mine ore for iron and copper, make and cast the plastic, and find an appropriate insulator. According to his Ted Talk he got some good advice early on in the project–go to a library.

You can learn more about Thwaites toaster here, and you can watch his Ted Talk here. And then, if you are inspired to start you own challenging project, or if a professor has assigned a challenging project in your class, you can start finding answers right here.

The Science Museum has a nice image of the final results of the project.