The currents of History run deep and often unseen beneath the everyday ripple of events. But now and again the current rises to the surface, and the events of a single day shed an exceptional light on the meaning of the past. Such events are the subject of Days that Changed the World. Some of the 50 days described here mark the end of an era; others the start of something new. Many are the dates of bloody battles or murders; others of momentous decisions or breathtaking discoveries. All are remembered as powerful symbols of their time. Our story begins almost 2500 years ago on 28 September 480 before the Christian Era, when the Athenian navy destroyed the Persian invasion fleet in the Bay of Salamis. Had the Persians won we might never have heard the names of Plato, Aristotle or Alexander, nor recognize the word democracy. Charting 50 such defining moments, concluding with 11 September 2001 and the destruction of New York's Twin Towers, Days that Changed the World is a unique and fascinating way to portray the story of world history. These 50 history-making days include: The Battle of Salamis The Battle of Waterloo The Assassination of Julius Caesar The Passing of the Emancipation Act The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ The Battle of Sedan The Dedication of Constantinople The Boxer Rebellion The Death of Muhammad The First Day on the Somme The Coronation of Charlemagne The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor The Death of Genghis Khan The Bombing of Hiroshima The Fall of Constantinople Martin Luther King's 'I have a Dream' The Defeat of the Spanish Armada The Breaching of the Berlin Wall The US Declaration of Independence Nelson Mandela's Release from Prison The Fall of the Bastille Nine Eleven
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From the Inside Flap
Covering 2500 years, here are the stories of 50 days that truly made history, including: The Crucifixion of Christ The First Crusade The Spanish Armada The Battle of Waterloo Pearl Harbor The Fall of the Berlin Wall The Release of Nelson Mandela 9/11 Each chapter explains the day's events, and their causes and consequences, providing both an insight into that era, and an understanding of the wider themes of world history.
From the Back Cover
A concise and fascinating history of the world told through the stories of 50 momentous days, including: The Assassination of Julius Caesar; The Crucifixion of Jesus; The US Declaration of Independence; The Fall of the Bastille; The Battle of Waterloo; The First Day of the Somme; The Attack on Pearl Harbor; The Bombing of Hiroshima; The First Moon Landing; The Fall of the Berlin Wall; The Release of Nelson Mandela; Nine Eleven
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found `Days That Changed The World' to be an informative, if a little dry, look at world history and key events that have shaped the path the world has taken. Each section is introduced with a front page and then usually three pages of text. The first paragraph describes the event and how it effected history and then the rest of the essay goes into more depth and analysis. The topics covered are fairly varied, from the assassination of Julius Ceaser and the crucifixion of Christ to the rise of Bill Gates and 9/11, with plenty in between. This is hard to read from cover to cover and although the topics are fascinating, the writing style is quite dry and I found this better to dip in and out of. It's more of a reference book than an outright history book to read in one sitting. Sometimes I've read just the initial paragraph to get a feel for the topic and then came back to the rest of the essay at a latter date. It's also a shame this didn't have more photography to make a more rounded and informative book. Overall, this is an interesting book and it has some good ideas of what may have been world changing events, I'm sure there may be some debate over some of the choices, and if you can work past the dry delivery then this has plenty to offer.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Carl
Format:Hardcover
Hywel Williams `Days that changed the world: The 50 defining events of world history' is an interesting if dull popular history of the days Williams believes changed the world. As a popular history the work is completely void of sources or a reference list, no quote is fully attributed making further reading/referencing impossible.
The book is split into fifty chapters, each dealing with a different day. The format is the same for all: the day is introduced, then over the next six pages the background to the day is provided, the details of the event expanded upon and why the day was so fundamental to the course of human history is discussed. This format allows one to gain a broad general knowledge of the subject in discussion but does not allow any room for expanded analysis or detail.
The book covers 2,400 years of human history however only two `days' are from before 0 B.C.E.. Considering the achievements made by people all over the world, the development of languages, sciences, and mathematics; the creation of civilisations and cities; the general movement from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles (and much much more) the work zooms in on the assassination of Julius Caesar and defeat of the Persian Empire by an alliance of Greek city states. Granted these later two have dates that can be attached to them, compared to above examples provided by me, but they present a recurring theme throughout the work: a Eurocentric and Neo-Europe focus, with little attention paid to outside Europe or the New World, with considerable focus paid to Europe defeating various eastern invasions.
While named 'days that changed the world', for the most part the book is a list of accomplishments made by Europeans and their offshoots.... Read more ›
The book is split into fifty chapters, each dealing with a different day. The format is the same for all: the day is introduced, then over the next six pages the background to the day is provided, the details of the event expanded upon and why the day was so fundamental to the course of human history is discussed. This format allows one to gain a broad general knowledge of the subject in discussion but does not allow any room for expanded analysis or detail.
The book covers 2,400 years of human history however only two `days' are from before 0 B.C.E.. Considering the achievements made by people all over the world, the development of languages, sciences, and mathematics; the creation of civilisations and cities; the general movement from nomadic to sedentary lifestyles (and much much more) the work zooms in on the assassination of Julius Caesar and defeat of the Persian Empire by an alliance of Greek city states. Granted these later two have dates that can be attached to them, compared to above examples provided by me, but they present a recurring theme throughout the work: a Eurocentric and Neo-Europe focus, with little attention paid to outside Europe or the New World, with considerable focus paid to Europe defeating various eastern invasions.
While named 'days that changed the world', for the most part the book is a list of accomplishments made by Europeans and their offshoots.... Read more ›
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Tony Howard
Format:Hardcover
This provides 50 neat little snapshots of world history. It's well laid out - providing 3 pages of text for each event. In each case there is a description of the 'Day' concerned, some background & finally a paragraph summarizing it's impact on world history. Inevitably there are some obvious omisions e.g. Trafalgar - which surely secured British naval supremecy for long enough to allow us to build the world's largest empire. More importantly though, there are the ones the reader might not know about or recognise the importance of: in my case several. Having read this book, I feel I have a more complete picture of history - albeit through snapshots.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Ronnie
Format:Hardcover
Was well received by recipient - haven't read it myself so can't comment. Prompt delivery meant that it arrived in time for birthday
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