1000 Events That Shaped the World

by National Geographic Society, Jared Diamond (Foreword)

A fascinating sweep of global developments, this fact-filled book delivers what National Geographic has introduced into households for more than a century: The world and all that is in it. A thousand concise nuggets of text, each focused on one event and numbered chronologically, walk readers through time —from the first evidence of life 3.8 billion years ago to a just-discovered planet beyond our solar system that could harbor life as we know it.

Accompanied by hundreds of illustrations and maps, the chosen events give insight into how and why our world has grown and changed. Did you know that the bow and arrow were developed nearly 5,000 years before pottery was made? (Events #16 and #19.) Or that Hamlet (#319) appeared at about the same time as Japan’s Kabuki theater (#320) and the first newspapers (#322)? There’s much more: Buddha’s birth, the understanding of sight, Mercator‘s mapmaking, Tsar Alexander’s freeing of serfs, the Battle of Gettysburg, the debut of toilet paper, D-Day, the first e-mail. A reader can open this book anywhere and find fascinating tidbits of history embellished with quick-read biographies, first-person accounts, and landmark paintings and photos. 1000 Events is sure to be a perennial backlist book, with its well-researched information appealing to readers of all ages. In the winning tradition of bestsellers Visual History of the World and Concise History of the World, this new volume presents facts in the easy-access format that people love.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Coffee Table Books

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Marianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Given that this book was coming from the National Geographic Society, I was looking forward to high quality photos and "just the facts, ma'am" commentary. And, I suppose, if you're a "secular humanist", that's exactly what you'll think you're getting starting with a LOT of speculation about the development of prehistoric human culture. If you're a Christian like me, though, what you'll get is a slanted view of human history that shamelessly downplays the significance of Judeo-Christian events which have shaped our world and common human culture. The life and death of Jesus of Nazareth is covered in a single paragraph with a pretty Courier & Ives picture to illustrate. Islam's Muhammad, on the other hand, is given an entire sidebar which includes this incredible statement: "Christians and Jews--both followers of the one God, Allah--were prospering on the Arabian Peninsula..." This is false. Christians have never followed Allah. Three more paragraphs are captioned "Muhammad Flees" and a two page spread is devoted to The Dome of the Rock. Martin Luther the Reformer is given a couple of paragraphs while Mahatma Gandhi is allotted several entries. I could go on citing the disparity between how the contributions of Christianity are presented or ignored when compared to all other world religions but I won't. Suffice to say, while this "history" may resonate with those who share the opinions of the book's contributors, between the glaring errors (like the one I cited above) and the painfully obvious slant, this book didn't provide the kind of balanced insights into the events that have shaped our world that I expect from a history book.

[Erwin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

1000 Events that Shaped the World by National Geographic is divided into seven chapters viz., Ancient World (Prehistory–400 CE), Middle Ages (400–1500), Age of Discovery (1500–1700), Revolutionary Era (1700–1850), Age of Imperialism (1850–1913), World War Years (1914–1945), and Modern Age (1946–Present). Included in this book are further readings about its authors and illustration credits.
The text covers the history of the whole world and its continents. Readers are introduced to mankind’s primitive beginnings hundreds of thousands of years ago to the development of writing around 3300 BCE to the Modern Age. This book presents the big picture with interesting selections and details. Accounts are highlighted in sidebars, and there are also excerpts from contemporary experts on the significant moments of history.
The authors provided information on Marco Polo’s account of his visit to China, a survivor’s commentary on the Black Death, Columbus’s log; biographies of figures like Attila the Hun, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, Ivan the Terrible, and Machiavelli. Readers will learn about the invention of the first map, book publishing, and the development of newspapers, gun powder, and the birth of the musical instrument, paper money, portable clock, side rules, toilet paper and many more interesting devices.

[Joe O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good; an overview from pre-history to now of 1000 events that summarize how the world has come to be across many areas, particularly scientific and political

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating read. It's like a refresher course on World history. I also can't believe how much of history class I obviously slept through in school. I highly recommend this book. Excellent read.