Timelines with captioned color photos and illustrations, plus capsule summaries recounting the deeds of generals and statesmen, the rise and fall of nations, battles and cataclysms, royal dynasties, world-changing inventions, and great moments in history fill the pages of this eminently "browsible" book. It's a sweeping pictorial narrative that begins with descriptions of humanity's earliest origins, and extends to the twenty-first century. A few of its highlights include--
- Archaeological finds of prehistoric tools and artworks, including artifacts that date from as early as 100,000 years ago
- Summaries of early civilizations in Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, the Indus Valley, ancient China, Greece, and Rome
- Medieval Europe and Christianity, Viking explorations and attacks, Mongol expansion in Asia
- The European Renaissance and global exploration
- The European Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions, and the Napoleonic era
- The industrial revolution, early inventions, the beginnings of modern science
- The twentieth century, world wars, the age of high technology
- World affairs since 9/11. . . and much more
Major eras are introduced with timelines on fold-out double-page spreads featuring large tabs extending from page edges and labeled with topic titles and their historical dates. Hundreds of color illustrations.