What on Earth Happened?... In Brief: The Planet, Life & People from the Big Bang to the Present Day

by Christopher Lloyd

How old is the universe? When did life on earth begin? What happened to the dinosaurs? How was the moon created? How did ancient Chinese science shape the modern world? How did Islam trigger globalization? Are humans really superior to other living things? And how can you fit the complete history of the planet into one pocket-sized book? These are just some of the questions answered in Christopher Lloyd's acclaimed 13.7 billion year history - now in brief. In this thrill-ride across millennia and continents, the complete history of the planet comes to life: from the Earth's fiery birth to its near-obliteration in the Triassic period, and from the first signs of human life to the tentative future of a world with a burgeoning population and a global warming crisis. Covering a wide range of topics including astrophysics, zoology, and sociology, and complete with maps and illustrations, What on Earth Happened? In Brief is the endlessly entertaining story of the planet, life, and people.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Bestselling author Christopher Lloyd began his career as a journalist with the Sunday Times newspaper. Then, while camping with his family, he had a critical realization: Even with a 1st class degree in history from Cambridge University and experience as a science writer, there was so much about the world he didn't know. So, he set out to write books that zoom out and tell the big stories, opening readers' eyes to how seemingly unrelated events fit together and showing them multiple perspectives on the world, all in highly engaging prose and matched with lively illustration and photography.

Now, with more than 20 books in print, some in over a dozen languages, Christopher divides his time between writing books for adults and children and delivering lectures and workshops to schools, literary festivals, and a wide range of other venues around the world.

Reviews

[Fadillah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is pretty ambitious to fit everything in one book. The book covered almost everything from the big bang, ice age, olympic games history, european conquest, world wars to the 6th mass extinction predicted by the scientists that might happen in our time. I completely enjoyed reading it though i need to point out that i have a problem with the consistency of this book. Some of the topics feels short and written in such a brief manner while some feels very elaborate and comprises with so many details. The pictures, maps, and side notes really helps in imagining and comprehending this book. This is easily a 5 stars rated book from me.

[Marcello Benites · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Happened to Earth? by Christopher Lloyd is an eye-opening and thought-provoking book that takes readers on a journey through Earth’s history and the challenges it faces in the future. Lloyd’s clear and engaging writing style makes complex topics accessible to everyone, whether you’re a science enthusiast or just curious about the world. The book provides a deep look into climate change, environmental issues, and how we can shape a better future. Full of facts, insights, and hope, it’s an essential read for anyone interested in our planet’s future.

[Nynke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite repetitive in some places and missing the odd detail in others, i still highly recommend this book. Easy read and morally sound. ideal for (pre-) teenagers or anyone who is not that interested in history to struggle through many boring, longwinded textbooks.

[Chris Blanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, the history of the entire universe, you can't ask for more really. It had me wanting to find out more about lots of different areas of history, a book that made me want to read more books, perfect

[Jaume Sués Caula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reading comprehensive new angle to walk through the Earth history. The author re-storytell under a super-long time scale a new historical angle of the big revolutions.

[Angela Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little marvel. Very informative, readable, entertaining and nicely balanced.

[Ajith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a great book especially for young adults. Easy to read, gives good understanding of the timeline From Big Bang till today. Touches vast number of topics and events.

[Jan Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare that you read a book that changes your perspective on life (and in this case on the evolution and the universe!). It provides a great overview of history that allows a new perspective

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this. I found the first parts about the evolution of plants and animals really tedious. There was no story just lots of very dry facts. The parts about human history were more interesting but it is only a brief overview. The vast scope of the book is its major limitation - trying to cover the whole of the Earth's history in a short book means that there is no detail.
I think it would be better to decide what area or period of history you are interested in and find a book specific to that period.

[JMJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was always going to be a task that would draw critical response, particularly as the paperback edition is only half of what is contained within the hardback. However, I think this was an admirable attempt and the only reason i've given three stars to this is that I think some of the things focused on didn't need to be and there was a strange sequence to the book (then again i'm unsure how else such a vast subject could have been integrated differently). Overall, Lloyd provides a really nice basic summary, with some poignant points and a well-balanced focus.

[Ming Mansor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a fun read with enough imagination for the readers, the writer writes the book relating with a 24-hour clock basis so its easy to keep track with all the facts and history enough for 13.7 billion years. It tells you basically what you want to know about the beginning of life on Earth, dinosaurs, globalization and my favourite part of the book is the time's table (yeah it literally means what it means)!

[Khit Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

History and Prehistory

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book- I appreciated the way it was organized, how Lloyd kept going over certain points, the informal writing style.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars
Although there were some really interesting facts, I found it to be too informational, therefore a bit slow moving.