Marlene Wagman-Geller had her own "Eureka!" moment when she came up with the idea for this book.

Eureka! The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas that Shaped the World is exactly what its title describes: 40 stories about the moments of sudden inspiration that led to brilliant ideas.

Here are just a few of the topics included in the book: the composition of "Amazing Grace," the invention of Levi jeans, the reinvigoration of the Olympic Games, the inspirations behind the Kentucky Derby and the Tour de France, the origins of Winnie-the-Pooh, Curious George and Wonder Woman, the impetus behind Mount Rushmore, the career of Dr. Seuss, the formation of Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, PETA and the Special Olympics, and the creation of Starbucks, Amazon, Netflix and the Hard Rock Cafe.

Each topic gets a few pages to explain the circumstances that led to each lightbulb moment. These brief biographical pieces aren't long enough to become dull, but they provide readers some insight into how these things came to be.

It's an interesting concept for a book, and it's a handy volume to keep around for any time you have a few minutes to kill with another chapter.