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Overview
Aligned with the online Big History Project supported by Bill Gates, Big History puts a wide-angle lens on 13.8 billion years of remarkable history and shows you how and why we got where we are today.
With stunning visual timelines and special CGI reconstructions, you can see history's greatest events. Look back to our origins in the stars, explore everything from the birth of the Sun to modern technology, and see what the future holds for humans.
Weaving together multiple disciplines including physics and sociology, and with a foreword by TED speaker Professor David Christian, Big History is a truly unique look at the history of the world.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780744048445 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | DK |
| Publication date: | 05/03/2022 |
| Pages: | 440 |
| Sales rank: | 642,141 |
| Product dimensions: | 10.00(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d) |
About the Author
David Christian is the founder of Big History. He is also a distinguished professor at Macquarie University, cofounder, with Bill Gates, of the Big History Project, presenter of one of the 11 classic TED Talks with more than 6 million views, and instructor in the world's first Big History massive open online course (MOOC) on Coursera. David has given hundreds of presentations internationally, including at the Davos World Economic Forum in 2012, 2014, and 2015. He is a member of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Global History and the Cambridge World History.
Table of Contents
Foreword David Christian 8
Introduction 10
1 The Big Bang
Goldilocks Conditions 16
Origin Stories 18
The Nebra Sky Disk 20
Astronomy Begins 22
Earth Orbits the Sun 24
Seeing the Light 26
The Atom and the Universe 28
The Universe Gets Bigger 30
The Expanding Universe 32
The Big Bang 34
Recreating the Big Bang 36
Beyond the Big Bang 38
2 Stars are Born
Goldilocks Conditions 42
The First Stars 44
The Puzzle of Gravity 46
The First Galaxies 48
Hubble Extreme Deep Field 50
3 Elements are Forged
Goldilocks Conditions 54
The Life Cycle of a Star 56
How New Elements form Inside Stars 58
When Giant Stars Explode 60
Making Sense of the Elements 62
4 Planets Form
Goldilocks Conditions 66
Our Sun Ignites 68
The Planets Form 70
The Imilac Meteorite 72
The Sun Takes Control 74
How We Find Solar Systems 76
Earth Cools 78
Earth Settles into Layers 80
The Moon's Role 82
The Continents are Born 84
Dating Earth 86
Zircon Crystal 88
Continents Drift 90
How Earth's Crust Moves 92
Ocean Floor 94
5 Life Emerges
Goldilocks Conditions 98
Story of Life 100
Life's Ingredients Form 102
The Genetic Code 104
Life Begins 106
How Life Evolves 108
History of Evolution 110
Microbes Appear 112
Life Discovers Sunlight 114
Oxygen Fills the Air 116
Complex Cells Evolve 118
Sex Mixes Genes 120
Cells Begin to Build Bodies 122
Males and Females Diverge 124
Animals get a Brain 126
Animal Life Explodes 128
Animals Gain a Backbone 130
Rise of the Vertebrates 132
Jaws Create Top Predators 134
Plants Move onto Land 136
Wenlock Limestone 138
Animals Invade Land 140
Reinventing the Wing 142
The First Seeds 144
Shelled Eggs are Born 146
How Coal Formed 148
Lizard in Amber 150
The Land Dries Out 152
Reptiles Diversify 154
Birds Take to the Air 156
Continents Shift and Life Divides 158
The Planet Blossoms 160
Mass Extinctions 162
Plants Recruit Insects 164
The Rise of Mammals 166
Grasslands Advance 168
Evolution Transforms Life 170
How We Classify Life 172
Ice Cores 174
Earth Freezes 176
6 Humans Evolve
Goldilocks Conditions 180
The Primate Family 182
Hominins Evolve 184
Apes Begin to Walk Upright 186
Growing a larger Brain 188
The Neannderthals 190
Kebra Neanderthal 192
Early Humans Disperse 194
Ancient DNA 196
The First Homo Sapiens 198
Bringing Up Babies 200
How Language Evolved 202
Collective Learning 204
The Birth of Creativity 206
Hunter-Gathers Emerge 210
Paleolithic Art 212
The Invention of Clothing 214
Humans Harness Fire 216
Burial Practices 218
Humans Become Dominant 220
7 Civilizations Develop
Goldilocks Conditions 224
Climate Changes the Landscape 226
Foragers Become Farmers 228
Affluent Foragers 230
Hunters Begin to Grow Food 232
Farming Begins 234
Wild Plants Become Crops 236
Pollen Grains 238
Farmers Domesticate Animals 240
Farming Spreads 242
Measuring Time 244
New Uses for Animals 246
Innovations Increase Yields 248
Surplus Becomes Power 250
Population Starts to Rise 252
The Fenton Vase 254
Early Settlements 256
Society Gets Organized 258
Rulers Emerge 260
Law, Order, and Justice 262
The Written Word 264
Writing Develops 266
Watering the Desert 268
City-States Emerge 270
Farming Impacts the Environment 272
Belief Systems 274
Grave Goods 276
Clothing Shows Status 278
Using Metals 280
Otzi the Iceman 282
Conflict Leads to War 284
Age of Empires 286
How Empires Rise and Fall 288
Making Money 290
Unhealthy Developments 292
Trade Networks Develop 294
East Meets West 296
Trade Goes Global 298
8 Industry Rises
Goldilocks Conditions 302
The Industrial Revolution 304
Coal Fuels Industry 306
Steam Power Drives Change 308
The Process of Industrialization 310
Industry Goes Global 312
Governmnets Evolve 314
Consumerism Takes Off 316
Equality and Freedom 318
Nationalism Emerges 320
The Industrial Economy 322
The World Opens to Trade 324
War Drives Innovation 326
Colonial Empires Crow 328
Society Transforms 330
Education Expands 332
Medical Advances 334
Road to Globalization 336
Engines Shrink the World 338
News Travels Faster 340
Social Networks Expand 342
Growth and Consumption 344
Finding the Energy 346
Nuclear Options 348
Entering the Anthropocene 350
Climate Change 352
Elements Under Threat 354
The Quest For Sustainability 356
Where Next? 358
Timelines Of World History 360
Prehistoric World, 8MYA-3000BCE 362
Calendar Systems 367
Ancient World, 3000-700BCE 368
Culture and Creativity 374
Classical World, 700BCE-600CE 376
Great Buildings 383
Medieval World, 600-1450 384
Philosophy and Faith 392
Early Modern World, 1450-1750 394
Invention and Discovery 402
World of Empires, 1750-1914 404
Astronomy and Space 411
Modern World, 1914 Onward 412
Milestones in Medicine 422
Index and Acknowledgments 424