--For dummies.

Previous edition: Foster City, Calif.: IDG, 2001

pt. 1: Getting into history. Tracing a path to the present -- Digging up reality -- Putting history into perspective -- pt. 2: Finding strength in numbers. Getting civilized -- The rise and fall of many empires -- History's mid-life crisis: the Middle Ages -- The struggle for world domination -- Grabbing the globe -- Clashing all around the world -- pt. 3: Seeking answers. Religion through the ages -- Loving wisdom: The rise and reach of philosophy -- Being Christian, thinking Greek -- Awakening to the Renaissance -- Making a break: The reformation -- Opening up to science and enlightenment -- pt. 4: Fighting, fighting, fighting. Sticks and stones: Waging war the old-fashioned way -- The war machine gets some upgrades -- Modernized mayhem -- pt. 5: Meeting the movers and shakers. Starting something legendary -- Battling toward immortality -- Explorers and discoverers: Places to go, people to see -- Turning tables: Rebels and revolutionaries -- pt. 6: The part of tens. Ten unforgettable dates in history -- Ten essential historical documents

An overview of world history discusses influential people and highlights important dates and events

Includes index