From crusades to world wars, from ancient monuments to bloody revolutions, here is a fascinating tour of the historical events that have helped shape the world today. How did the ancient Egyptians build the Great Pyramid? How did Alexander the Great conquer so much of the world? How did the Vikings accidentally discover North America? Who led the "reign of terror" in the French revolution? Who stormed the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg? Who was Lawrence of Arabia? When was communism born? When did Montezuma rule? When was the Normandy invasion? With perspective, scope, and clarity to great events in history, this book answers these questions and many, many more. Great Events that Changed the World shows children the history of our amazing world in easy-to-follow panoramic tableaux and maps. Filled with superbly detailed artwork and exciting text, this is a valuable and enjoyable source book for the entire family.

Join the editors of TIME in a fast-paced journey through the adventures of man on Planet Earth in this richly illustrated volume, which explores history's most important turning points. Here are the great religions: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. Here are the great empires, from the vanished civilization of the Minoans on Crete to the glories of Classical Greece and Rome to the mysterious collapse of the Maya culture in Mexico. Here are the visionary scientists who altered our view of nature's laws: Newton and Darwin, Copernicus and Einstein. Here are the great conquerors,including Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan and Napoleon. And here are the great clashes between cultures, as Christian knights besiege Muslim citadels in the Crusades, a handful of Spanish conquistadors topple the empires of the Aztecs and Incas, and Japan attacks the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. The book is arranged chronologically, rapidly accelerating in pace as it reports the development of the technologies that define the modern world, from the coming of the railroad and the telegraph to the advent of photography, the cinema and television and culminating in the invention of the transistor and the boot-up of the World Wide Web. And it offers fresh perspectives on cultures too often overlooked, from the Golden Age of Islam to the voyages of Viking mariners to China's renascence under the Ming dynasty. Presented in a special oversized format, this beautifully illustrated volume also offers a sweeping panorama of man's greatest artistic achievements, from the cave paintings of Lascaux to marvelous medieval maps and on to the great paintings and sculptures of the Renaissance. As an illuminating guide to mankind's triumphs and sorrows, and as a gallery of human culture, science, art and architecture, it offers a dazzling and provocative encounter with the great turning points of history.

"In a sweep of history, this book brings you what National Geographic has introduced into households for more than a century: the world and all that is in it. Concise narratives, each focused on one event and numbered chronologically from 1 to 1,000, walk you through the story of civilization, from the first evidence of life 3.8 billion years ago to the discovery of the first known planet beyond the solar system that could harbor life as we know it. Accompanied by hundreds of illustrations, events famous, infamous and little known offer insight into how and why the world has grown and changed as it has."--BOOK JACKET.

Warfare on three continents, empire building, and revolution—political, agricultural, and industrial—dominate 18th-century world history. In Europe royal dynasties formed, fought major wars that carved up the map of Europe and the Americas, and began the great colonial expansion that dominated the next century. But the 18th century also ushered in the Enlightenment, which fired the imagination of Europeans, and the Industrial and Agricultural Revolutions, which changed society and work forever. To help students better understand the major developments of the 18th century and their impact on 19th- and 20th-century history, this unique resource offers detailed description and expert analysis of the 18th century's most important events: Peter the Great's Reform of Russia; the War of the Spanish Succession; the First British Empire; the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War; the Enlightenment; the Agricultural Revolution; the American Revolution; the Industrial Revolution; the Slave Trade; and the French Revolution. Each of the ten events is dealt with in a separate chapter. Designed for students, this unique format features an introductory essay that presents the facts, followed by an interpretive essay that places the event in a broader context and promotes student analysis. The introductory essay provides factual material about the event in a clear, concise, and chronological manner that makes complex history understandable. The interpretive essay, written by a recognized authority in the field in a style designed to appeal to general readership, explores the short-term and far-reaching ramifications of the event. An annotated bibliography identifies the most important recent scholarship about each event. A full-page illustration complements the narrative for each event. Three useful appendices include: a glossary of names, events, and terms; a timeline of important events in 18th-century world history; and a listing of ruling houses and dynasties of 18th-century Europe. This work is an ideal addition to the high school, community college, and undergraduate reference shelf, as well as excellent supplementary reading for social studies and world history courses.

It was the age of empire and the dawn of political and scientific revolution. The seventeenth century brought about enormous changes in the global political landscape and in the understanding of the principles of science. From this dynamic century, often fraught with upheaval and bustling with fascinating historical actors, several key events are treated by recognized experts in the field. These important events include, among others: • The age of the great Russian tsars, Indian moguls, and Japanese shoguns • The beginning of a four-century dynasty in China • The reign of Louis XIV • The expansion of the Ottoman Empire • England's Glorious Revolution • The Founding of Jamestown • The Thirty Years' War • The Scientific Revolution To help students understand the major developments of the seventeenth century and their impact on our own time, this unique resource offers detailed description and expert analysis of the century's most important events. Each of the events is covered in a separate chapter. An introductory essay provides factual materials about the event in a clear, concise, and chronological manner that makes complex history understandable. An interpretive essay, written by a recognized authority in the field, then explores the short-term and far-reaching ramifications of the event. With an annotated bibliography, full-page illustrations, a timeline of important events, a listing of ruling houses and dynasties of the period, and a glossary of names, events, and terms of the seventeenth century, Events That Changed the World in the Seventeenth Century is an ideal addition to the high school, community college, and undergraduate reference shelf, as well as excellent supplementary reading for social studies and world history courses.

In this volume the author offers a thought-provoking examination of the many pivotal events in the course of world history.