1001 Days That Shaped the World (1,000... Before You Die Books) [Hardcover]

Peter Furtado (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0764161350 | ISBN-13: 978-0764161353

From the foundation of Rome on April 21, 753 B.C. to the execution of Saddam Hussein on December 30, 2006, 1001 Days That Shaped the World focuses on those truly extraordinary moments that changed the direction of world history. This eminently readable volume summarizes each event in a brief but dramatic descriptive article supplemented with memorable illustrations or photos. Decisive battles, natural disasters, the rise of emperors, historic assassinations, the launching of successful inventions, the hatching of political plots, artistic and cultural milestones--these are just a few of the general categories that describe the momentous days as recounted by historian Peter Furtado and his team of writers and researchers. Just a few of the 1001 important days captured in these pages are:

Sept. 21, 490 B.C.--The Battle of Marathon

March 15, 44 B.C.-- Julius Caesar assassinated

Dec. 25, 800--Charlemagne crowned Emperor in Rome

Oct. 14, 1066--The Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of Britain

Jan. 7, 1610--Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter

Dec. 16, 1773--The Boston Tea Party

Dec. 2, 1804--Napoleon crowns himself emperor

Nov. 24, 1859--Darwin's Origin of Species published

March 22, 1895--The first showing of a motion picture by the Lumière brothers

Apr. 17, 1906--The San Francisco earthquake

Dec. 7, 1941--The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor

Apr. 12, 1961--Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in Space

Nov. 9, 1989--The Berlin Wall Tumbles

Sept. 11, 2001--Al Qaeda attacks New York and Washington

Here is a book to read and enjoy. Filled with stories of human achievement, high drama, and unforgettable tragedy, 1001 Days That Shaped the World presents an accurate account of each event chosen, and explains the event's physical, cultural, social, or economic impact on the world. Hundreds of evocative photos and illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

(back cover)
We all remember those once-in-a-lifetime days when a milestone event transformed the world--such as JFK's assassination, the first lunar landing, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and 9/11. You now hold in your hands a comprehensive record of those life-changing moments. Authoritatively compiled by historians, scientists, and journalists, 1001 Days That Shaped the World is an essential guide to the most extraordinary days humankind has known. Each of those days has formed the mindset of a culture, the history of a country, or the shape of a region. This fascinating guide is perfect for everyone who wishes to discover more about the triumphs and disasters that have shaped our world.

(front flap)
Certain days mark turning points in the world as we know it. Most people who were alive at the time will remember where they were when Martin Luther King was assassinated, or when the Berlin Wall fell. Such events define the end of one era and the beginning of another, marking transitions that help us map out the ebb and flow of human history.

You now hold in your hands a comprehensive guide to those extraordinary moments, written by respected figures from the fields of science, history, and journalism. Each entry features a detailed account of an epochal event, along with an informed assessment of its cultural and social impact.

Selected from events covering a vast expanse of time, 1001 Days That Shaped the World is history told through key moments, decisive encounters, memorable incidents, and disastrous events, whether triggered by human action or brought about by nature. Each event featured in this book has formed the mindset of a culture, the history of a country, or the shape of a region.

Amazing photographs, incisive text, and revealing quotations make this book an essential guide to the events that have shaped the world as it exists today.

(back flap)
Peter Furtado has been editor of History Today magazine since 1998. He holds degrees in history and art history from Oxford University, and over the last thirty years has edited many reference works on world history.

About the Author

Peter Furtado is a fellow of Britain's Royal Historical Society and the editor of History Today magazine. Over the past three decades he has edited many reference works on world history, including the Atlas of World History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 960 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764161350
• ISBN-13: 978-0764161353
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure!, March 3, 2010

By 

OutlawPoet "OutlawPoet" (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1001 Days That Shaped the World (1,000... Before You Die Books) (Hardcover)

First things first...

Some of the editorial reviews have absolutely nothing to do with this book. LOL - please don't get confused by the reviews talking about some books being great for pre-k.

This is a snapshot of some of the most important events and people in human history. Many of the articles are about people and events I'd never heard of. And those I had heard of, were filled with fascinating tidbits of information that made history come alive.

Science, art, invention, polictics, and pop-culture are all included.

The book leaves you feeling like you understand a bit more about how we got where we are today, and where we might be going.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guide to Events That Made Us Who We Are!, February 25, 2009

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1001 Days That Shaped the World (1,000... Before You Die Books) (Hardcover)

Lately we have been deluged with 'number books' - 100 PLACES TO SEE, 501 MOVIE STARS and so on. The latest entry in the field is 1001 DAYS THAT SHAPED THE WORLD, a marvelous and informative snapshot guide to key events that shaped our world. History buffs, trivia buffs and would-be Renaissance men and women will want to pick up a copy. This book, to quote Mr. Spock, is endlessly "fascinating."

1001 DAYS THAT SHAPED THE WORLD is a door-stopper of a book, some 960 pages long. It has to be since its coverage of the most significant moments in human history starts with the "big bang," ends with the May 2008 China earthquake and spans the globe. Each entry, which can be an event, invention, idea or creation, is given a half- or full-page summary, often with an accompanying illustration.

Just about all the "usual (historical) suspects" are here: the Battle of Marathon, RFK's assassination, the publication of THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the invention of smallpox vaccine, Gutenberg's Bible, Edward VIII abdicates, Gandhi is slain, the discovery of X-Rays, the defeat of the Armada, the Magna Carta and on and on.

Yet it's the other, "not-quite-so-famous" entries that are most fascinating. Included in this category are the 1576 Antwerp massacre, Algerian independence, the 1870 doctrine of papal infallability, Jesse Owens' Olympic victory, the discovery of laughing gas, the Black Hole of Calcutta, Pocahontas weds, the death of Titian, the Marshall Plan, the first talkie, the establishment of the Mauryan empire, etc.

Leafing through the book, it's instructive to find out the who-how-and-where of these events but what's most interesting is reading why that event was so crucial.

I enjoyed 1001 DAYS THAT SHAPED THE WORLD immensely. Reading it was a true learning experience and fun to boot. While you can certainly read it start to finish, it can also be enjoyed by simply opening the book to a random page and reading the event summary. I did and kept finding myself going: "Wow, I didn't know that! That's really interesting!" Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little about a lot, January 19, 2009

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 1001 Days That Shaped the World (1,000... Before You Die Books) (Hardcover)

Survey works of this kind can be entertaining. They provide information on many subjects we may have a vague idea about, and are happy to get a better idea of. But they do not cover anything in depth, and they thus open themselves to the charge of superficiality. Moreover the whole approach here of looking at history in terms of single days. So a single day is taken for the writing of Shakespeare's sonnets, or for the appearance of Melville's 'Moby Dick'.All this hints at the fundamental truth that 'history' is processes which develop over varying periods of time. What I am trying to say is that while the whole business of looking at History in terms of individual days may give a certain perspective it is untrue to the whole movement and tenor of History.

This particular anthology has concise, readable entries and is certainly worth looking through.