Human History in 50 Events Quotes

“After reading about so many events that changed history, maybe we should ask ourselves what the history books of our children will say about us. Will we be known as the Internet generation? Maybe the global generation? Predicting the future is impossible, of course, and no one today can say what exactly we will be remembered for tomorrow. However, I think we should all try to do our best to make the 50 most important events of the future more positive than some in this book. Today, we can avoid many of the wars and plagues that seemed inevitable in the past. We have the technology and the knowledge to do great things, and all one needs to do is remind himself of that. - James Weber”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“We set up a telephone connection between us and the guys at SRI ...," Kleinrock ... said in an interview, "We typed the L and we asked on the phone, "Do you see the L?" "Yes, we see the L," came the response. We typed the O, and we asked, "Do you see the O." "Yes, we see the O." Then we typed the G, and the system crashed... Yet a revolution had begun…”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland under the false pretext that the Poles had carried out a series of sabotage operations against German targets. Two days later, on September 3, France and the United Kingdom, followed by the fully independent Dominions of the British Commonwealth — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa — declared war on Germany. This marks the beginning of World War II.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Nevertheless, economic historians agree that the first Industrial Revolution was the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals, plants, and fire.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Newton’s influence on science particularly and on eighteenth century culture in general was profound.  Few scientists after him would deny themselves the identity of being a “Newtonian”, while his (apparent) application of rational thought to the solution of scientific problems became the model for the Enlightenment embrace of “rationalism”.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Many consider the publication of this book to be the beginning of the Scientific Revolution.   This has been debated.  However, Copernicus’ theory stimulated the astronomical work of some of the most important minds of the sixteenth and early seventeenth century, upon which later natural philosophers, including Newton, were able to build modern science.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Printing Revolution,” and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution, and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The  first crusade  started after a speech given on November 27, 1095 by  Pope Urban II  with the primary goal of responding to an appeal from  Byzantine Emperor  Alexios I Komnenos, who requested that Western volunteers come to his aid and help to repel the invading  Seljuq Turks  from  Anatolia. An additional goal soon became the principal objective — the Christian re-conquest of the  sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and the freeing of the  Eastern Christians from Muslim rule.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The hijra, or emigration of Mohammed and his followers to Medina in 622, is celebrated as the founding of Islam.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The extensive surplus of food is what allowed those areas to become densely populated in the first place. It is these two things that allowed for political systems, specialized labor,  writing, property ownership, and more- all things we can’t imagine modern society without.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The shift from hunting-gathering to agriculture led to one very important development -- it laid the building blocks for civilization as we know it.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Human migration seems to follow a certain pattern, from eastern Africa into modern Israel then up through modern Turkey and into eastern Europe, where they worked their way west.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The death of Jesus marks the beginning of Christianity, today the world's largest religion with about 2.4 billion adherents.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“The introduction of penicillin in the 1940s, which began the era of antibiotics, has been recognized as one of the greatest advances in therapeutic medicine.”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times

“Caesar and Augustus both have months named after them (July for Julius Caesar and August for Augustus).”
― James Weber, Human History in 50 Events: From Ancient Civilizations to Modern Times