'Lightbulb Moments in Human History is flavored with scintillating wit and dark humor, and served to the open-minded by an intelligent observer, who manages to evoke empathy and hope for the human spirit.' Dr. Micki Pistorius, author of Catch Me a Killer Lightbulb Moments in Human History: From Peasants to Periwigs continues the humorous and informative series exploring the big ideas that have shaped humanity. Packed with laughs and fascinating insights, it documents the progression from the boozy peasants of the Middle Ages to the bewigged boffins of the Scientific Revolution. Along the way, you'll find answers to burning questions such as: Why did a mob of peasants follow a 'divinely inspired' goose to the Crusades? Was Captain Cook really devoured by cannibals, or was it just a terrible misunderstanding? What the hell is a periwig, and why did the best-dressed seventeenth-century men insist on wearing them? Lightbulb Moments in Human History: From Peasants to Periwigs by Scott Edwin Williams is not the history you were taught in school. It demonstrates that, despite all evidence to the contrary, our world is actually getting better. So grab a mug of mead, slap on your finest periwig, and dive into the rich history of human ingenuity.

'Here's your chance to learn and enjoy Big History in a slightly 'deranged' romp.' Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, Australian science communicator, author, and populariser Lightbulb Moments in Human History tracks humanity's big ideas and the eccentricities of those who conceived them. Along the way you'll find answers to questions such as: Why did the Sumerians have temple prostitutes? Just how psychotic was the God of the Old Testament? Why did parents in ancient Greece encourage their young sons to take older male lovers? And what on earth inspired the Mayans to have tobacco enemas? Funny. Irreverent. Never boring. This is not the history you were taught in school. Scott Edwin Williams' Lightbulb Moments in Human History engages, entertains, and provides hope that while times are tough, we're not all going to hell in a handbasket.

The Art and Science of Light Bulb Moments is an interactive, educational and entertaining guide on how to have ideas on demand. Tom Evans explains how the mind works (and doesn't work) so you that you can experience inspirations about anything pretty much any time you like. Light bulb moments don't have to be random. You will learn the secrets to Whole Brain and Whole Mind Thinking, the importance of the breath and how to reconnect with your vestigial minds and the superconsciousness. Find out where ideas come from and why most thoughts aren't necessarily your own. Reading this book will quite possibly change your world by helping you spot serendipities, making you luckier and even healthier and wealthier.

The Nuremberg Trials (IMT), most notable for their aim to bring perpetrators of Nazi war crimes to justice in the wake of World War II, paved the way for global conversations about genocide, justice, and human rights that continue to this day. As Francine Hirsch reveals in this new history of the trials, a central part of the story has been ignored or forgotten: the critical role the Soviet Union played in making them happen in the first place. While there were practical reasons for this omission--until recently, critical Soviet documents about Nuremberg were buried in the former Soviet archives, and even Russian researchers had limited access--Hirsch shows that there were political reasons as well. The Soviet Union was regarded by its wartime Allies not just as a fellow victor but a rival, and it was not in the interests of the Western powers to highlight the Soviet contribution to postwar justice. Stalin's Show Trials of the 1930s had both provided a model for Nuremberg and made a mockery of it, undermining any pretense of fairness and justice. Further complicating matters was the fact that the Soviets had allied with the Nazis before being invaded by them. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 hung over the courtroom, as did the fact that the everyone knew that the Soviet prosecution had presented the court with falsified evidence about the Katyn massacre of Polish officers, attempting to pin one of their own major war crimes on the Nazis. For lead American prosecutor Robert Jackson and his colleagues, focusing too much on the Soviet role in the trials threatened the overall credibility of the IMT and possibly even the collective memory of the war. Soviet Justice at Nuremberg illuminates the ironies of Stalin's henchmen presiding in moral judgment over the Nazis. In effect, the Nazis had learned mass-suppression and mass-murder techniques from the Soviets, their former allies, and now the latter were judging them for crimes they had themselves committed. Yet the Soviets had borne the brunt of the fighting--and the losses--in World War II, and this gave them undeniable authority. Moreover, Soviet jurists were the first to conceive of a legal framework for viewing war as a crime, and without that framework the IMT would have had no basis. In short, there would be no denying their place at the tribunal, nor their determination to make the most of it. Illuminating the shifting relationships between the four countries involved (the U.S., Great Britain, France, and the U.S.S.R.) Hirsch's book shows how each was not just facing off against the Nazi defendants, but against each other and offers a new history of Nuremberg.

Google is synonymous with searching, but in this innovative new research volume, Micky Lee explores how the Alphabet Corporation, now the parent company of Google, is more than just a search engine. Using a political economic approach, Lee draws on the concept of networks to investigate the growth of this key media player. The establishment of the parent company, Alphabet, shows the company is expanding to other industries from equity investment to self-driving cars. This book first examines this history of expansion, before delving into the economic, political, and cultural profiles of the corporation. Lee ultimately finds that what makes Google powerful is not one genius idea, but rather networks of people, places, and capital. Alphabet: The Becoming of Google is a compelling dive into the sometimes inscrutable world of Google, ideal for students, scholars, and researchers interested in the fields of digital media studies, the politics and economies of online media, and the history of the internet.

This book focuses on the development of the National Museum of Natural History’s David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins. As one of the most visited human evolution exhibits in the world and the largest such exhibit in the United States, it has tremendous influence on public perception and knowledge of human evolution. The chapters explore how this exhibit came about, how it has changed since opening, and the associated educational and public outreach activities of members of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program. The author uses the term “adaptive resilience” to describe a central theme of the exhibit, our species’ adaptation to changing environments as a key feature of our success, and to refer to the resilience of Richard B. Potts in creating his vision for the hall. Contextual sections situate the hall’s development within the history of paleoanthropology, the politics of evolution and climate change, and African contributions. The book will be of particular interest to scholars of anthropology and museum studies as well as the history of science and science communication.

Is the end near? I have documented in this book what happened before the earth was created and how it was developed into its current state. I continue with a chronological summary of the almost 6000 years since mankind has occupied the earth and explore the forces that have caused many of the world`s battles, including the past and current wars in the Middle East. This book also compares the historic fall of Israel to the potential downfall of the United States and discusses the real reasons we are having the climate change debate, and how this is being used as a platform for world control. I explore how the powerful World Economic Forum is organising a total world reset of many of things that we hold dear. The book provides a potential timeline of when the end times may commence and the detailed logic behind this reasoning. I also provide an in depth analysis of the end times, and the devastation that is ahead of us. Is it probable that this will occur within the next decade? I believe that this is essential reading for all who are interested in understanding what the future holds for yourself, your family, and for all of humanity.