Energy sources are massively depleted. The government is wasteful and incompetent. The economy is imploding, the environment is toxic, and international terrorism threatens our day-to-day lives. And gum sucks. It just sucks. Who is responsible? Who made our world so dangerous, so unlivable, so stupid?

Matthew Vincent is unafraid to name names. Who’s to blame for the three-ounce rule on airplanes? Who came up with the bright idea of branding every single sports stadium? Who made curling an Olympic event? Which pope made celibacy mandatory? Who invented daylight saving time? (Who doesn’t hate daylight saving time?)

Here’s a book that’ll tell you who invented every unnecessary, annoying gadget that plagues modern life and haunts your dreams. It’s a book to keep in your bathroom for perusal before you end up having to drink out of your toilet bowl because there’s no potable water left in your hemisphere. Here’s a book that’ll tell you who ruined it for everyone.