In "The Most Powerful Idea in the World," William Rosen embarks on a riveting journey through time to unravel the genesis of the Industrial Revolution—a pivotal era that catapulted humanity from the steady, unhurried pace of centuries past into the high-speed lane of modern progress. At the heart of this transformation lies a seemingly simple, yet profoundly impactful invention: the steam engine. Rosen meticulously traces its evolution from a cumbersome apparatus to the powerhouse driving the gears of industry and transportation, forever altering the course of human history. Rosen's narrative transcends mere historical recount, delving into the fertile intellectual and cultural soil of eighteenth-century Britain, where a revolutionary concept took root: the right to own and profit from one's ideas. Through the lens of this transformative idea, he introduces us to a cast of brilliant minds—engineers like Thomas Newcomen and James Watt, scientists such as Robert Boyle and Joseph Black, and thinkers including John Locke and Adam Smith—whose collective ingenuity and perseverance not only sparked the Industrial Revolution but also set the stage for the unending march of innovation. With masterful storytelling and a keen eye for the pivotal "aha!" moments of invention, Rosen presents a compelling narrative that is as much an ode to human creativity and ingenuity as it is a chronicle of the power of an idea to reshape the world.