Furtado (former editor of History Today magazine) briefly narrates a diverse collection of notable events of 1001 days in history, beginning with the Big Bang and the postulated death of the dinosaurs and concluding with the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan province that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale. In between, major discoveries, inventions, firsts, landmarks in art and culture, pivotal turn points in war and politics, revolutions, births, and deaths (by natural and man made means) are summarized. Entries are organized chronologically and elegant illustrations and photographs support the text. The front matter includes an index by country. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)