This book is a sweeping panorama of human history: from the first sparks that were mined and the domesticated fire to reaching beyond Earth and dreaming of the stars.
Anyone who strives for knowledge has, at least once, wondered: what came before us, what people were like before, and what the world looked like long before today? But for the first Homo sapiens, such reflections didn’t matter—at the dawn of their journey they thought first and foremost about survival. It was this necessity that repeatedly pushed humanity forward: from fire to the cosmos, from gestures to speech, and then to music and poetry; from cave paintings to great masterpieces; from treating with herbs to intervening in nature itself—down to the very mechanism of heredity. Human beings have always been driven by curiosity and the desire to expand the boundaries of what is possible: to see what lies beyond the horizon, to rise higher, to look deeper—so as to make life safer, fuller, and richer. All of civilization is a chronicle of paths forged across seas and deserts—and then through interstellar dust; a chain of questions, mistakes, and discoveries, where each link rests on someone’s courage, persistence, and dream.
This book invites you to look at the path of humanity—from the wheel to the digital age—through fascinating facts and a vivid visual presentation that brings the key turning points of history to life. We hope this edition will help you better understand who we are and what place we occupy in the world—and perhaps lead to the main question: what will the future of humanity be like?