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-- <BR> <BR> <LI> Archaeological finds of prehistoric tools and artworks, including artifacts that date from as early as 100,000 years ago <LI> Summaries of early civilizations in Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, the Indus Valley, ancient China, Greece, and Rome <LI> Medieval Europe and Christianity, Viking explorations and attacks, Mongol expansion in Asia <LI> The European Renaissance and global exploration <LI> The European Enlightenment, the American and French revolutions, and the Napoleonic era <LI> The industrial revolution, early inventions, the beginnings of modern science <LI> The twentieth century, world wars, the age of high technology <LI> World affairs since 9/11. . . and much more <BR> <BR> 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.