Timelines with captioned color photos and illustrations, plus capsule summaries recounting the deeds of generals and statesmen, the rise and fall of nations, battles and cataclysms, royal dynasties, world-changing inventions, and great moments in history fill the pages of this eminently "browsible" book. It's a sweeping pictorial narrative that begins with descriptions of humanity's earliest origins, and extends to the twenty-first century. A few of its highlights include-- Archaeological finds of prehistoric tools and artworks, including artifacts that date from as early as 100,000 years ago Summaries of early civilizations in Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, the Indus Valley, ancient China, Greece, and Rome Medieval Europe and Christianity, Viking explorations and attacks, Mongol expansion in Asia The European Renaissance and global exploration The European Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions, and the Napoleonic era The industrial revolution, early inventions, the beginnings of modern science The twentieth century, world wars, the age of high technology World affairs since 9/11. . . and much more Major eras are introduced with timelines on fold-out double-page spreads featuring large tabs extending from page edges and labeled with topic titles and their historical dates. Hundreds of color illustrations.