Foreword to the Paperback Edition

 

 

 

 

 

HISTORY IS IN TROUBLE. It has been splintered by experts into discrete topics and chopped up by governments to suit their educational fancies. Worst of all, it is almost never presented chronologically. How old is the universe? When did life on earth begin? Who was mankind’s oldest ancestor? How did ancient Chinese science shape the modern world? Why did democracy start in Greece? Are humans really superior to other living things? Many people today are understandably confused about the answers to such a broad but fundamental range of questions when all they learned at school was a few facts about kings and queens, a world war or two and maybe a little something about creatures called dinosaurs.

This is an abridged version of What on Earth Happened? – a journey into the past that begins at the beginning, 13.7 billion years ago. It tells the story of everything in four simple parts: Life Before Man, Human Evolution, Ancient History and Modern History. Along the way I have tried to draw upon the widest possible range of sources and have used the most up-to-date knowledge about life, the universe and everything.

This paperback edition is roughly half the length of the original hardback. It is designed specifically for anyone who wants a quick way of immersing themself in the fascinating themes of big history. Despite its condensed nature, my hope is that what emerges is a uniquely interconnected narrative that dovetails the growth of human civilizations with evolutionary biology, modern science with prehistoric art, and the rise of world religions with the irrepressible forces of mother nature.

This exhilarating project has convinced me more than ever that history cannot just be considered as simply the story of human achievement. People deserve a proper context, alongside and within the story of the planet and other life on earth. Without a more holistic perspective on their past, how can humans hope to prosper in the future?

The study of history is a powerful tool for helping our rational minds grapple with the challenges of tomorrow. I believe that it will only work if we keep on asking the one and only question that binds us all – planet, life and people: What on Earth Happened?

 

Christopher Lloyd

April 2009