Dimensions
159 x 240 x 42mm
If you could choose the 50 things that define world history, events of significance not only in themselves, but in their importance to wider themes running through our global past, what would they be? Hugh Williams has made that selection, and the result is a fascinating overview of the history of the world.
The development of man has been driven by his pursuit of five main desires - the desire for wealth, a hope to be free, a wish to believe, an appetite to conquer and the determination to explore.
Hugh Williams refines world history into a series of key themes that each represents a crucial strand in our history and pinpoints the seminal events within those strands - WEALTH, from the Via Egnatia to the Model T Ford; FREEDOM, from Spartacus to Nelson Mandela; RELIGION, from Gilgamesh to 9/11; CONQUEST, from Ozymandias to Hiroshima; and DISCOVERY, from Plato to the World Wide Web.
With great clarity, simplicity and a zest for the marvellous stories that underpin many of these events, Hugh Williams explains the linkage between each one and its importance in the development of our world. Along the way, he has some fascinating tales to tell, making this a highly enjoyable read as well as a perceptive insight into our shared past, and vital for anyone who wants quickly and enjoyably to grasp the essential facts about world history.
