Some books teach you about a specific subject, others talk about various topics but they both are huge, heavy and hard to carry. Author Tat Wood and Dorothy Ail’s World History In

Minutes: 200 Key Events Explained In An Instant is one book that is not huge, neither heavy nor hard to carry and is loaded with information that everyone should know.

What makes it an ideal for young readers like you is that the text is simple, there are illustrations with most of the events mentioned and you can choose to read whatever you want, whenever you want!

From Ancient Egypt to the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire, from Christopher Columbus’ journey to America to different pandemics that have taken place, from the emergence of Islam to the Declaration of (American) Independence, 200 major events, influential personalities and important movements to have happened in the world are mentioned in this book.

It has been divided into various categories beginning with Prehistory that discusses stuff that happened long before the First Civilisations, the second chapter of the book. After being taught how many civilisations came into being, there is The Classical World where everything and everyone from Socrates, Alexander The Great, and Julius Caesar are discussed, as is the significance of The Great Wall of China and the Fall of Egypt.

The Middle Ages talk about the many events that led to many battles between different countries; you also get to know about the famed Abbasid Caliphate, the infamous Genghis Khan, besides other important people from the era. It is followed by The Renaissance that chronicles the emergence of printing, the rise of Mughals in the Indian subcontinent and the Reformation in England, besides other events that the authors believe are important enough to be mentioned here.

The next three chapters The Age of Revolutions, The Age of Empires and The 20th Century and Beyond explain how the world changed in the last 500 years, what were the reasons behind the many iconic movements that changed the face of the world and how the last 100 years have improved our way of living.

You can read about the famed Muslim martyr Tipu Sultan, know the reasons behind the two World Wars, what was the Pearl Harbour tragedy and why were two Japanese cities bombed. This guide also enriches you with knowledge regarding the many Kings and Queens that ruled Great Britain, how the space race began and what was apartheid that resulted in Nelson Mandela’s getting jailed for no reason.

In short, this book is a treasure trove of information; read it alone, with your friends or even challenge the elders who might not know a lot of things that are mentioned here. Since it’s easy to carry, you can even take it with you if you travel; who knows you might need the book while visiting a historic building, monument or even a former battlefield about which you know nothing.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 5th, 2020