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A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

4.20 · Rating details · 347,128 ratings · 14,187 reviews

In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached ...more

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Paperback, First Trade Paperback Edition, 544 pages

Published September 14th 2004 by Crown Publishing Group (NY) (first published May 6th 2003)

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Oct 21, 2013 Manny rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, well-i-think-its-funny, the-goodreads-experience, history-and-biography

A Short History of Goodreads

Surveys show that nearly 40% of all Americans believe the history of literature started in 2007, when Amazon sold the first Kindle; indeed, Amazon Fundamentalists hold it as an article of faith that Jeff Bezos actually wrote all the world's e-books over a period of six days. This is, of course, nonsense. It has been conclusively demonstrated that literature is far older than the Kindle; books already existed thousands of years ago, which were the direct ancestors of t A Short History of Goodreads

Surveys show that nearly 40% of all Americans believe the history of literature started in 2007, when Amazon sold the first Kindle; indeed, Amazon Fundamentalists hold it as an article of faith that Jeff Bezos actually wrote all the world's e-books over a period of six days. This is, of course, nonsense. It has been conclusively demonstrated that literature is far older than the Kindle; books already existed thousands of years ago, which were the direct ancestors of today's e-publications. For example, careful examination reveals that The Odyssey and The Gospel according to Saint Mark are primitive versions of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and Bared to You. Similar relationships have been shown to obtain for all modern books.

Problems arise, however, from the fact that these archaic protobooks still exist today; indeed, some have adapted to the e-reader environment and begun to thrive there. It is entirely too easy for an unsuspecting internet shopper to purchase a copy of Pride and Prejudice, incorrectly believing that it is part of the Twilight series. From the standpoint of formal literary theory, it is admittedly incorrect to say that Pride and Prejudice is "worse" than Twilight. They are simply different; neither one is "worse" than the other, since they have developed in different environments.

From a practical point of view, however, a person who buys a Jane Austen novel is almost certain to be disappointed. There are no vampires or werewolves; sex is barely even hinted at; most upsettingly of all, the book will be full of long sentences and difficult words. The combination of these factors can only lead to an intensely unpleasant reading experience, which may discourage the reader from making new Amazon purchases for days or even weeks afterwards. Particularly given the fragile state of the US economy, this is evidently not an acceptable state of affairs.

People have always exchanged recommendations and warnings with their friends, but it became clear that a more systematic approach was needed. There had to be a place where book-consumers could post advice and help each other avoid these infuriating mistakes, so that everyone could be sure of reading nothing but up-to-the-minute YA erotic paranormal romances.

Thus was born Goodreads.

This work by Manny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License ...more

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Apr 16, 2009 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: absolutely anyone

Shelves: library-finds, nature-walk, non-fiction

Good grief if I had even one textbook half this enthralling in high school, who knows what kind of impassioned -ologist I would have grown up to be. I hereby petition Bryson to re-write all curriculum on behalf of the history of the world.

I would run across things half-remembered from midterms and study guides and think, "You mean this is what they were talking about? You have got to be kidding me." It's never condescending, always a joy.

In fact, what I loved most is the acute, childlike sense o ...more

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Oct 06, 2007 Paul Bryant rated it liked it

Shelves: science

Okay, so here's my Bill Bryson story. I was in The Gladstone, a public house not too far from this very keyboard, with my friend Yvonne, who will remain nameless. We had been imbibing more than freely. A guy approached our table and asked me in a sly surreptitious manner if I was him. Him who? Was I Bill Bryson? Now it is true that I bear a very slight resemblance

but you could also say that about Bjorn from Abba

and a zillion other white guys with beards and gently rounded fizzogs. Anyway, withou ...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Grace Tjan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-non-fiction, 2009

What I learned from this book (in no particular order)

1. Phosphor was accidentally discovered when a scientist tried to turn human urine into gold. The similarity in color seemed to have been a factor in his conviction that this was possible. Like, duh. I’m no scientist, but shouldn’t it be obvious enough?

2. “In the early 1800s there arose in England a fashion for inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, after it was discovered that its use ‘ was attended by a highly pleasurable thrilling’. For ...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: encyclopedia, non-fiction, 21th-century, united-states, science, refrence, historical

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything by American author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas of science, using easily accessible language that appeals more so to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject.

Bryson describes graphically and in layperson's terms the size of the universe and that of atoms and subatomic particles.

He then explores the history of geology and biology and traces life from i A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson

A Short History of Nearly Everything by American author Bill Bryson is a popular science book that explains some areas of science, using easily accessible language that appeals more so to the general public than many other books dedicated to the subject.

Bryson describes graphically and in layperson's terms the size of the universe and that of atoms and subatomic particles.

He then explores the history of geology and biology and traces life from its first appearance to today's modern humans, placing emphasis on the development of the modern Homo sapiens.

Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the Earth being struck by a meteorite and reflects on human capabilities of spotting a meteor before it impacts the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. ...

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «تاریخچه تقریبا همه چیز»؛ «شرح مختصری از همه چیز»؛ «علم و سرگذشت آن»؛ نویسنده: بیل برایسون؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه جولای سال 2005میلادی

عنوان: تاریخچه تقریبا همه چیز؛ نویسنده: بیل برایسون؛ مترجم: محمدتقی فرامرزی؛ تهران، مازیار، 1384، در 615ص، شابک 9645676487؛ موضوع: علوم به زبان ساده از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م

عنوان: شرح مختصری از همه چیز؛ نویسنده: بیل برایسون؛ مترجم: محمود زنجانی؛ تهران، دایره المعارف ایرانشناسی، 1388، در 512ص، شابک9786005204155؛

عنوان: علم و سرگذشت آن؛ نویسنده: بیل برایسون؛ مترجم: مجید عمیق؛ تهران، مهراب قلم کتابهای مهتاب، 1390، در 171ص، شابک9786001033636؛

نویسنده درباره ی موضوعاتی گوناگون، از «مهبانگ» گرفته، تا «مکانیک کوانتوم»، و از «تکامل»، تا «زمین شناسی»، به بحث میپردازند؛ ایشان در کتابشان از راه ماجراهای «کاشفان» و «دانشمندان» موضوعات علمی را، به بحث میگذارد؛ ایشان در این کتاب کوشش میکنند برخلاف درسنامه های علمی، که به نظر ایشان، شوقی برای دانستن، در خوانشگران برنمیانگیزند، چرا که هیچگاه به چراها، چگونه ها و چه هنگام ها، در مورد اکتشافات علمی نمیپردازند، ایشان توانسه اند موضوعات علمی را به شکلی جذاب ارائه دهند

نقل از متن: (نمیدانستم «پروتون» یا «پروتئین» چیست، «کوارک» را از «کواسار» تشخیص نمیدادم، نمیدانستم زمینشناسها چگونه میتوانند نگاهی به یک لایه از توده سنگ دیواره ی یک دره بیندازند، و عمر آن را تشخیص دهند، حقیقتاً هیچ چیز نمیدانستم؛ یک اشتیاق آرام و خارق العاده، برای یاد گرفتن، و دانستن برخی نکات، درباره ی این موضوعات، و دریافتن اینکه تا کنون چند نفر توانسته اند از آنها سر درآورند، آرام آرام بر وجودم چیره شد؛ این همواره بزرگترین شگفتی زندگی ام بوده است ـ دانشمندان چگونه از مسائل سر درمیآورند...)؛ پایان نقل؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 11/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 29/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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May 17, 2011 Patrick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Picked this up on audiobook when I was on tour and listened to it in my car.

I found it fascinating and informative. Kinda like a reader's digest version of the history of science. And even though I knew a fair chunk of what was mention, there was a lot of material I'd never even had a glimmer of before.

Fair warning: If you are prone to worry about, say, the end of the world. This probably isn't the book for you.
...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: popular-science, non-fiction

Bryson's dead serious: this is a history of pretty much everything there is -- the planet, the solar system, the universe -- as well as a history of how we've come to know as much as we do. A book on science written by a non-scientist, this a perfect bridge between the humanities and the natural sciences. A course in the history of science should be mandatory for every teenager, and this should be the textbook.

Yes, it's a big, chunky book. No, it can't be trimmed down any further: when you're ad Bryson's dead serious: this is a history of pretty much everything there is -- the planet, the solar system, the universe -- as well as a history of how we've come to know as much as we do. A book on science written by a non-scientist, this a perfect bridge between the humanities and the natural sciences. A course in the history of science should be mandatory for every teenager, and this should be the textbook.

Yes, it's a big, chunky book. No, it can't be trimmed down any further: when you're addressing cosmology, earth science, ecology and zoology, with healthy doses of chemistry and physics, plus the historical development of each, you're going to end up with a doorstop of a text, no matter how smoothly written. The wonder of Bryson's writing is that the reader doesn't get lost in these sweeping surveys. When name-dropping, Bryson always gives a short description of the person in question; if mentioned earlier in the book, he drops in a quick reminder to the reader. This is fabulously effective at giving the names some context, not to mention a little personality.

And indeed, isn't that what science education needs most: more humanity and less intimidation? Those science-phobes out there who freely admit their near-complete ignorance of the subject should do themselves a favor and buy a copy of this book. No, don't get it from your library. There's so much here you'll want to have a copy on hand to refer to later.

To those nerds in the audience -- myself included -- don't think your degrees mean you can pass this one over. As hyper-specialized as science has become, it's refreshing as hell to step back and take a look at things with new eyes. While there's not a lot here I haven't encountered before, there's a lot of information about how our current theories were developed that I didn't know.

(Also? It's heartening to read about the social ineptitude, blind spots, and how utterly incompetent many of these scientist were in other aspects of life. Makes me feel better about never finishing that PhD -- at least I have a life.)

Thorough, humorous, engaging, and educational: what's not to like?
...more

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Jul 22, 2019 Swaroop rated it it was amazing

Fascinating, interesting and filled with so much knowledge - A Short History of Nearly Everything is a very good read. Clearly Bill Bryson has done a lot of hard work and research. This book is one of the examples of how to learn, acquire knowledge, along with wisdom at the same time. The focus of the book is on learning lessons from history and the past, so that there's a better future.

This highly recommended book should be made part of the school syllabus. ...more

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Nov 07, 2017 Miranda Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Big bois. Long bois. Extra extra page bois.

Everyone's heard of them. The Libraries are full of them. But are they worth it?

Click the link for my video review of the big bois in my life.

The Written Review:Want a whirlwind worldwide romance adventure minus the romance? This is the book for you.

This book really does cover nearly everything. From the Big Bang to current life on earth, Bill Bryson does wonderful job of breaking down complex theories and concepts to their essential message:

Protons

...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone even slightly interested in science

Recommended to Manny by: Leon Stirling

Shelves: history-and-biography, science, well-i-think-its-funny

It's easy to nitpick A Short History of Nearly Everything. Bryson, by his own cheerful admission anything but a scientist, makes a fair number of mistakes. He says that all living creatures contain hox genes; he omits Alexander Friedmann and George Gamow from his description of how the Big Bang theory was developed; when talking about Darwin and Paley, he doesn't seem to be aware that Natural Theology was one of Darwin's favorite books and had a huge influence on him. Those are just a few of the ...more

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Dec 27, 2014 Dan rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's summation of life, the universe, and everything, a nice little easy-reading science book containing an overview of things every earthling should be aware of.

As I've repeatedly mentioned over the years, every time one of the casual-readers tells me I have to read something, like Harry Potter or the DaVinci Code, I dig my feet in deeper and resolve to never read it. This is one of the occasions I should have shaved a decade off of my stubbornne ...more

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Oct 12, 2007 Foster rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, philosophy-and-religion

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. There, I said it

Bryson's book combines the best qualities of science writers like Attenborough, Diamond, Durrell, and Wilson; presenting the information with the wit he is most known for. It is an amazing achievement to condense the entire base of human scientific knowledge into 478 pages, but Bryson has done it. I completely agree with Tim Flannery, who writes on the jacket that "all schools would be better places if it were the core sci This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. There, I said it

Bryson's book combines the best qualities of science writers like Attenborough, Diamond, Durrell, and Wilson; presenting the information with the wit he is most known for. It is an amazing achievement to condense the entire base of human scientific knowledge into 478 pages, but Bryson has done it. I completely agree with Tim Flannery, who writes on the jacket that "all schools would be better places if it were the core science reader on the curriculum." I certainly would have gained much if I had read it when I was 15.

This is one of the few books that has truly challenged what I had previously held to be conventional wisdom (at least in my own mind). Two main changes have come about:

1. I had always been jealous of the "true" zoologists, such as Audubon and Darwin, who were around when the world was as yet unexplored, and discovering a species was as simple as being the first to walk into a patch of forest. I left science because the idea of being tied to a sterile lab held no interest for me. However, after reading Bryson's vignettes of early scientific/zoological exploration (much of which was both comic and tragic), I realize that those days weren't quite as idyllic as I had imagined.
2. Bryson does a "good" job of scaring the hell out of you by showing just how precarious our daily existence really is. I probably shouldn't say this, but it puts such problems as global climate change into context when you read how an eruption of the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park would wipe out most of the life on earth in a painfully slow manner; especially when Bryson describes how this eruption is overdue by 30, 000 years by historical average.

Combined with those two new impressions, I am left with the following conclusions, and a slightly rearranged outlook on life.

First off, it is clear that science benefits from a large degree of serendipity. We as a species/civilization have been lucky to have some truly great minds working on deciphering the way our world works. Some of these are household names [Newton, Halley, Einstein], some are not [Henry Cavendish, Rosalind Franklin]. However, as with everything that us humans put our hands on, this endeavor wasn't perfect. Egregious mistakes, pathological lying, childlike rivalries and tantrums - they all occurred. On balance, whether they helped or hurt the effort isn't clear. But what is clear is that our present level of understanding was by no means assured.

Secondly, the fact that life is so tenuous makes one a little more philosophical. Since I've finished the chapter about Yellowstone and similar catastrophic threats, I find myself asking "what if today is the day?" It can be rough when you get on the bus at the end of a particularly annoying workday, when the disagreements were petty and you didn't get much done, and think "is that what I did on the last day of my life?"

Thankfully, that attitude only lasted for a short while, until I was able to reframe it in a more productive way. Now I tell myself not to worry about big problems that might happen in the future, because I know that we will be hit by a meteor, we will experience a supervolcano eruption. It's best to just enjoy every day, doing what you really know to be what it is that you want to do. Does that mean that I won't recycle anymore, that I will leave the tap running while I brush my teeth? No! Because doing things to reduce my impact makes me feel good, that I'm thinking about society's needs - not just my own. It's what I want to do.

So, in an incredible way (that even Bill Bryson probably didn't predict) this book can really change your life. ...more

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Feb 27, 2017 Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I was never any good at science. At the grammar school I attended we were shepherded into laboratories for lessons on physics, chemistry and biology. These were scary places; I’d never been anywhere like this before. The physics lab had gas taps and Bunsen burners and the walls were filled with incomprehensible charts. The chemistry lab held rows of specimen jars, more gas taps and burners and an underlying smell of something unpleasant and vaguely dangerous. The biology lab displayed pictures a I was never any good at science. At the grammar school I attended we were shepherded into laboratories for lessons on physics, chemistry and biology. These were scary places; I’d never been anywhere like this before. The physics lab had gas taps and Bunsen burners and the walls were filled with incomprehensible charts. The chemistry lab held rows of specimen jars, more gas taps and burners and an underlying smell of something unpleasant and vaguely dangerous. The biology lab displayed pictures and diagrams of human body parts and there were constant rumours of creature dissections and other nasty things to come. Beyond the physical fears it was clear that each subject had its own language. I was fluent in none of them. I ceased study on all of these subjects at the earliest opportunity.

But I left school feeling that I’d missed out on part of my core education. And I had. So I’d had my eye on this book for some time. I’ve long been a fan of Bryson’s insightful yet amusing take on the world. Surely his commentary of all things scientific couldn’t be too painful, could it? The book walks through just about every significant scientific discovery from the creation of the universe to the present day. Well, not quite the present day, given this book was published some fourteen years ago. But given the universe is currently thought to be some 13.7 billion years old, I’m comfortable it covers the mother lode.

The list of sciences included is exhaustive, I spotted whole bunch but I’m also convinced I missed a few. My list comprises:

Anthropology
Astronomy
Botany
Cosmology
Chemistry
Ecology
Geology
Human Biology
Meteorology
Oceanography
Physics
Zoology

It’s fascinating stuff – staggering, in fact. I’d heard of the Big Bang theory, of course, but I’d never delved into the detail of it. The explanation here is clear and concise - it’s still mind bending, but I was able to follow most of the explanation. There were some sections where the detail did become a little heavy – the account of plant life being categorised lumbered on interminably – but on the whole the pacing felt spot on. It’s also very well structured, with relevant topics being grouped together. It flowed well and told a compelling story.

As I worked my way through this book, the thought that kept leaping to the fore was that these brilliant theories and discoveries came about largely as a result of scientists and non-scientists working something out via observation, association and calculation – the kicker being that nearly all of these milestone events predate computers, email and the internet. It’s incredible. In one example twenty years was spent on a calculation using pencil, paper and a slide rule. The same calculation could now be completed using a computer in a single day.

Yes, because of its publication date there are a few recent finds that aren’t included - confirmation of the existence of the Higgs boson particle in 2012 is one example – but I really don’t think it missed out too much of any significance. For anyone looking for a comprehensive but easy to follow history of scientific discovery, from the very beginning, look no further. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. ...more

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May 09, 2011 D'Argo Agathon rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: No one.

Shelves: gave-up-on, non-fiction, worst-shit-ever, science, history

Oh my gods, what a waste of perfectly good paper! I am flabbergasted that this has such consistently high reviews...

Three problems with this tripe:
1. falsity of the science (most blatantly around cosmology, but not limited to any one field) and misunderstanding of scientific principles;
2. a focus more on "biography" rather than on real "history";
3. trivial worthlessness of the information.

Number 1 is briefly chronicled below. Within just the first 20 pages or so, there are ridiculous factual er ...more

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Mar 11, 2019 Olive Fellows (abookolive) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, favorites-2019

Well deserving of its popularity and praise, this book manages to be fun even though it contains a massive amount of information delivered at a rapid rate. The title is hyperbolic; this is an introduction to scientific building blocks that will give the reader a basic understanding about the world, our place within it, and of the history behind major scientific discoveries. Though it has the ability to make one feel overwhelmed, I think it has an equal potential to be a good kicking off point fo ...more

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Sep 21, 2018 Dem rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction

2.5 Stars
This is probably going to make me sound as thick as two short planks but I didn't like it, I knew going into this book that it was going to be a challenge as Science is not really my preferred bedtime reading but I do think its good to try new things but unfortunately yes this was just hard work for me and I struggled through this one.

But on the plus side I did learn some STUFF just dont ASK me to EXPLAIN it to you and it did encourage discussion with my Nerdy other half which cant b ...more

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Jul 06, 2013 Julian Worker rated it it was amazing

11/10 - a book everyone should read simply because of the knowledge it imparts to the reader.

This is one of those books where I realised after a few pages that I couldn't even plan to write this book, let alone put the words on to the page.

A stunning achievement and if I had to recommend one anecdote, it would be Edmond Halley (of comet fame) going to see Isaac Newton about the path the Earth follows around the sun.

Halley and Christopher Wren (in the time when he was a famous mathematician / ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Greta G rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-in-dutch, pop-science, to-reread

A short history of nearly everything

This is a remarkable accomplishment. From the author, of course, but also from me, to have read it. I'm not a scientist, so when I started reading this book, I expected that I would skip some parts. But I didn't ; I read every single page of this highly readable and enjoyable book.
I won't bother you with all the scientific stuff I learned. Instead, I compiled a top 5 list of the frightful fates of some scientists.

1. Max Planck (1858-1947) was a German theore A short history of nearly everything

This is a remarkable accomplishment. From the author, of course, but also from me, to have read it. I'm not a scientist, so when I started reading this book, I expected that I would skip some parts. But I didn't ; I read every single page of this highly readable and enjoyable book.
I won't bother you with all the scientific stuff I learned. Instead, I compiled a top 5 list of the frightful fates of some scientists.

1. Max Planck (1858-1947) was a German theoretical physicist whose work on quantum theory won him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1918. Max Planck had to deal with many tragedies in his life. His beloved first wife, Marie, died at a young age in 1909, probably from TBC. They had four children (with his second wife Magda he had a fifth child Hermann). During the first world war, his son Erwin was taken prisoner by the French in 1914, while his other son Karl was killed in action at Verdun. His daughter Grete died in 1917 while giving birth to her first child, and two years later her twin sister Emma died the same way, after having married Grete's widower. In February 1944 his home in Berlin was completely destroyed by an air raid, annihilating all his scientific records and correspondence. In 1945, Erwin was sentenced to death by the Nazi Volksgerichtshof and executed, because of his participation in the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in july 1944. His death destroyed much of Max Planck's will to live.
Tragic

2. Doctor Thomas Midgley Jr. (1889 – 1944) was an American mechanical engineer and chemist. He was a key figure in a team of chemists that developed the lead additive to gasoline (TEL) as well as some of the first CFCs. His work led to the release of large quantities of lead into the atmosphere as a result of the large-scale combustion of leaded gasoline all over the world. Thomas Midgley Jr. died three decades before the ozone-depleting and greenhouse gas effects of CFCs in the atmosphere became widely known. Bill Bryson remarked that Midgley possessed "an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny". In 1940, at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled. This led him to devise an elaborate system of strings and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. This system was the eventual cause of his own death when he was entangled in the ropes of this device and died of strangulation at the age of 55.
Horrible

3. Gideon Mantell (1790 – 1852) was an English obstetrician, geologist and paleontologist. He and his wife discovered several large teeth of an Iguanodon in 1822, but they were dismissed as belonging to a fish or mammal or rhinoceros, by other scientist. Mantell was mocked by his peers, and especially sir Richard Owen (the coiner of the word "dinosaur") made his life a hell. Mantell became financially destitute and his wife left him in 1839. His son emigrated to New Zealand that same year, and his daughter died in 1840. In 1841 Mantell was the victim of a terrible carriage accident in London. Somehow he fell from his seat, became entangled in the reins and was dragged across the ground. Mantell suffered a debilitating spinal injury. He became bent, crippled and in constant pain. Richard Owen took advantage from this and tried to ruin Mantell's reputation as an important contributor to the science of paleontology. In fact, Owen even transferred claim of a number of discoveries from Mantell to himself. Mantell could no longer bear the pain of his spine and the burden of Owen’s hatred and on 10 November 1852, Mantell took an overdose of opium and later lapsed into a coma. He died that afternoon. An anonymous obituary appeared shortly afterwards in the Literary Gazette, which denigrated Mantell’s achievements and claimed his scientific work was no more than mediocre at best – although anonymous, the style of the obituary quickly identified it as coming from Owen’s pen. Then, as a final act of indignity, Owen had a section of Mantell's spine removed and displayed his pickled spine in a jar in his museum.
Dreadful

4. Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) was a German polar reseacher, geophysicist and meteorologist. Today he is most remembered as the originator of the theory of continental drift by hypothesizing in 1912 that the continents are slowly drifting around the Earth. Wegener's fourth and last Greenland expedition was in 1930. The 14 participants under his leadership were to establish three permanent stations from which the thickness of the Greenland ice sheet could be measured and year-round Arctic weather observations made. Success depended on enough provisions being transferred from West camp to Eismitte ("mid-ice") for two men to winter there, and this was a factor in the decision that led to his death. On 24 September, although the route markers were by now largely buried under snow, Wegener set out with thirteen Greenlanders and his meteorologist Fritz Loewe to supply the camp by dog sled. During the journey, the temperature reached −60 °C (−76 °F) and Loewe's toes became so frostbitten they had to be amputated with a penknife without anesthetic. Twelve of the Greenlanders returned to West camp. On 19 October the remaining three members of the expedition reached Eismitte. There being only enough supplies for three at Eismitte, Wegener and Rasmus Villumsen took two dog sleds and made for West camp. They took no food for the dogs and killed them one by one to feed the rest until they could run only one sled. While Villumsen rode the sled, Wegener had to use skis, but they never reached the camp: Wegener died and Villumsen was never seen again. Wegener died probably of a heart attack (Bill Bryson wrote he froze to death). Villumsen buried Wegener’s body in the snow and marked the grave with skis. Villumsen then resumed his journey, but did not complete it. His body was never found. In May 1931, after a search, Kurt Wegener discovered his brother’s grave. He and other expedition members built a pyramid-shaped mausoleum in the ice and snow, and Alfred Wegener’s body was laid to rest in it. The mausoleum has now, with the passing of time, been buried under Greenland’s ice and snow.
Terrible

5. Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) was an American astronomer who is known for playing a vital role in the development of extragalactic astronomy. What became of Edwin Hubble after his death at his home on the 28th of September 1953, is a mystery. The whereabouts of his body were known only to his widow. It is not known whether he was buried or cremated or where his remains now lie. This secret his widow took to her own grave. His wife who adored him, devoted years of her life to writing an almost mythical account of her husband's life, much of which is evidently false.
Creepy

9/10 ...more

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Jul 27, 2020 Orhan Pelinkovic rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, europe, science, united-states

What I appreciated most about this book is that it recognizes the lesser-known pioneers of our time. To be more precise, the book in large part, introduces and acknowledges some of the barely known Western scientists (along with the famous ones) that researched, discovered, and in part laid out the foundation for modern astronomy, geology, paleontology, chemistry, physics, biology, but never received the deserved recognition!

The author answers the questions, how and with whom, we arrived at the What I appreciated most about this book is that it recognizes the lesser-known pioneers of our time. To be more precise, the book in large part, introduces and acknowledges some of the barely known Western scientists (along with the famous ones) that researched, discovered, and in part laid out the foundation for modern astronomy, geology, paleontology, chemistry, physics, biology, but never received the deserved recognition!

The author answers the questions, how and with whom, we arrived at the scientific knowledge we know today, and what those results are. The book very briefly discusses the evolution of the cosmos and our planetary system and in more details the evolution of planet Earth and its living organisms. We also see that the field of science, like in any other field of profession, is full of greed, deceit, and bitterness.

As far as the title and content of the book is concerned, I have my remarks. The book is called A Short History of Nearly Everything and it only covers science and scientists. Not what I expected.

Also, not introducing and discussing, in a history of science book, the Mesopotamian, ancient Egyptians and Greeks, Mesoamerican civilization, the Islamic Golden Age period, and others, deprives the reader from seeing and grasping the whole picture of the chronological development of the study of the physical and natural world.

Lastly, all the short stories revolve around Western European and North American scientists. Which I personally love and appreciate. For example, as far as Asia is concerned, the author dedicated space within the book to inform us that Tokyo could be expecting a devastating earthquake, and the Asian shark finning cruel practice brings in their restaurants up to $100+ per bowl of shark fin soup. But, no mention of Asian scientists, and their achievements.

Therefore, in general the content of the book can be viewed as US-Eurocentric, which in return presents the reader with a short-sighted view of the history of science, all wrapped up in an ambiguous title.

Not to end on a negative note, Bryson is an enjoyable storyteller and the many short stories, along with the science lessons, nicely flow together. Bryson is not a scientist, but he did a fine job.

(3.5/5) ...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Stunning in scope and execution. Loved every page of it, even geology was made exciting. That really is some feat.

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Oct 07, 2014 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it really liked it

Shelves: recent

The best thing about this book is that it introduces other books you would like. It showed me that I should probably read more about Newton and Einstein, and that astronomy is something that I am still interested in. I did find myself scanning through certain sections because I already understood them well (the vastness of the universe) or I don't think I will ever understand them (complicated aspects of biology). Like all science book, they get outdated fast but this one is still holding up, at ...more

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May 24, 2022 Maureen ( NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) rated it liked it

*3.5 stars *

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Aug 19, 2006 Otis Chandler rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone curious about the world

Shelves: nonfiction, science, history

A fascinating history of science. Ever curious how everything we know about the world came to be - read this! I loved reading about what old greats like Darwin thought about the world - they were all right about most things, but also very wrong about some things - makes you wonder how much we are wrong about today!

Another interesting piece was how many of the world's prominent scientists had the time to do their research because they came from rich families. Very different from todays notion of ...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Dave Gaston rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, ecology-earth-science, invention, history, discovery, science

First off, this is a huge departure from Bryson's breezy, excellent travel logs. Secondly, this book should be read with some frequency. It is so densely packed with valuable insight, and sound bites of discovery that you could not possibly absorb it all with one pass. This is my second time reading it and I plan on doing it again next year. The organizational structure is a wonderful series of loosely connected cameos covering several essential and enlightened discoveries of man. As an added bo ...more

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May 30, 2010 Maciek rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Basically everyone

Shelves: non-fiction, own-in-paperback, owned-books, big-tomes, own-in-hardcover, scientific

This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information. While reading it, one might wish to remember all its content, but it's written in a way allowing the reader to pick up the volume and start reading at any point, according to his interests, though Bryson relays all subjects in captivating and available way, with a big dose of humor.

This is a weighty book - 600 pages - but Bryson's not joking. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe a This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information. While reading it, one might wish to remember all its content, but it's written in a way allowing the reader to pick up the volume and start reading at any point, according to his interests, though Bryson relays all subjects in captivating and available way, with a big dose of humor.

This is a weighty book - 600 pages - but Bryson's not joking. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe and the nature of our solar system and planet, through biological evolution of our species and the effects of us being here, both on nature and other creatures. Needless to say, he does an extremely good job of captivating the reader's attention from the first page and has no difficulty laying out complex concepts in a way that every reader will understand. Also, aside from all the facts, the book is also full of trivia and anecdotes about the experiments and the scientists who performed them.

In the introduction, Bryson recalls his childhood and remembers how he was fascinated by the image of a cross-section of our planet, but at the same time put down by the nature of the book that contained it. The dry presentation of the facts, that were accompanied only by a set of exercies to test the gained knowledge, puzzled him. How did these people know how our planet looks from the inside? And who exactly were they?
In his book, he accomplishes an important thing, one of the most important things - he presents the data while at the same time never letting go of the terribly exciting feeling of discovery, and presenting information about the discoverers themselves. It's obvious that he did a lot of research, but it's also obvious that these things fascinated him, and he grabs the reader's hand and runs headlong into the unexplored. And it is a world full of wonders.

If schoolteachers shared Bryson's joy and flair we might have ended up with a whole lot more of biologists, physicists, chemists and geologists. I don't know if it's the best book of it's kind, but it is certainly an achievement worth re-reading. ...more

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Jul 31, 2008 David Rubenstein rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, nonfiction

I am a scientist, and I found much of this book quite fascinating. The book certainly isn't comprehensive in any sense of the word--in fact it seems to roam in a semi-random sort of way; but the author's sense of humor and attention to colorful historical facts kept my interest from beginning to end.

One of the themes of this book, is that when someone comes up with with a new discovery, there are three stages before it is accepted:
1) Nobody believes it.
2) Nobody thinks it is important
3) It gets ...more

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Oct 05, 2008 Diane rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, audiobooks, nonfiction, history

I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. In high school, I had to work harder in my biology and chemistry classes, whereas English, history and social studies always came more easily to me.

Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a good overview of all the science classes I didn't take (or don't remember) in college. It's like Intro to Physics, Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy all in one wonderfully droll book. Since I read very I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. In high school, I had to work harder in my biology and chemistry classes, whereas English, history and social studies always came more easily to me.

Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a good overview of all the science classes I didn't take (or don't remember) in college. It's like Intro to Physics, Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy all in one wonderfully droll book. Since I read very few books about science, this was an enjoyable departure for me.

Here is how the book begins: "Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn't easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize. To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you. It's an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience this supremely agreeable but generally under-appreciated state known as existence."

Some of my favorite sections were about the Big Bang, the debate about the age of the universe, plate tectonics, Darwin's research, and the extinction of different species. After sharing various stories of how humans have killed off who-knows-how-many species, Bryson interjects: "I mention all this to make the point that if you were designing an organism to look after life in our lonely cosmos, to monitor where it is going and keep a record of where it has been, you wouldn't choose human beings for the job." Sadly true, but also worth a HA!

I listened to this on CD read by the author, and if you've been following my reviews for a while, you'll know that I have a brain crush on Bryson and his narration. Seriously, I wish I could invite him over for tea and scones and just listen to him read all afternoon. (Bryson is from my home state of Iowa, but he's lived in England for so long that he's adopted a charming accent. It's adorable.) I was also able to look through a copy of the special illustrated edition, which includes dozens of photographs and prints. If you can find it, I highly recommend reading the illustrated edition.

"A Short History" was first published in 2003, and at the time, it was a big change from Bryson's previous travelogues. Since then, Bryson seems to have abandoned travel books and has been writing on different topics in history, such as the wonderful "At Home", "Shakespeare" and "One Summer: America 1927." While I enjoy his wry, humorous takes on history, I do miss his travel writing. If you're reading this, Bryson, please, take a trip somewhere. Have an adventure. Jot down a few notes and write another whip-smart travel book. Your fans will love it. ...more

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Nov 05, 2018 Brian rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

“…Inevitably owe at least as much to supposition as to science.”

“A Short History of Nearly Everything” is in a word fascinating…mostly. I found this text the most interesting when Bill Bryson turned his attention to the personalities in the science world as opposed to lots of the science itself. He is more comfortable writing on that human angle subject and it shows.
For a book that deals with nonfiction (in as much as science is fact, this text makes clear that much science is really nothing mor “…Inevitably owe at least as much to supposition as to science.”

“A Short History of Nearly Everything” is in a word fascinating…mostly. I found this text the most interesting when Bill Bryson turned his attention to the personalities in the science world as opposed to lots of the science itself. He is more comfortable writing on that human angle subject and it shows.
For a book that deals with nonfiction (in as much as science is fact, this text makes clear that much science is really nothing more than conjecture) one section that will keep you on the edge of your seat is Part IV, called “Dangerous Planet”. Do not read it before bed, you will have bad dreams. It’s all about the cataclysmic ways the Earth can create (this is not induced by humans, just natural cycles) another extinction level event. At one point the text says about the planet, “For all the instability, it’s mostly remarkably and amazingly tranquil.” Understatement!
Although Mr. Bryson appropriately does not explore or accept or reject the idea of a Creator (that is not the realm of science anyway) and after reading this book the myriad of improbable, impossible and /or unexplainable intricacies of the universe, nature on earth and life itself have only deepened my belief in a Creator who put all these processes in motion. As this quote from page 172 says, “We live in a universe whose age we can’t quite compute, surrounded by stars whose distances we don’t altogether know, filled with matter we can’t identify, operating in conformance with physical laws whose properties we don’t truly understand.” There is still so much (most things actually) that science cannot even begin to understand, but too often it is presented as fact. I am irritated that when I was in school it was presented in this infallible (and intellectually dishonest) manner. Bill Bryson mostly avoids that arrogance. This quote appears in some form continuously throughout the text, “In short, we don’t quite know where we came from.” If this book makes one thing abundantly clear, it is that science knows very little, and can prove nothing about the origins of anything! That astounds me! The quote I used as the title for this review is the recurrent theme of this text. As one scientist in the text states. “You can trust the studies well enough, generally speaking. What you can’t trust are the sweeping conclusion that people often attach to them.”
Overall, I liked “A Short History of Nearly Everything”; some parts of it are immensely readable. Science and a bit of history thrown in is always interesting. However, by the last 100 pages or so I was more than ready for the book to be finished. I read it; I was intrigued, learned a lot. Moving on.
Another great line from the text-“Sometimes the world just isn’t ready for a good idea.” ...more

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Nov 15, 2017 Paul E. McPaulface rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2017

A really interesting book. Bryson succeeds in explaining some complex topics in such a way that they can be understood by the layman. I enjoyed this one a great deal. If I had one complaint it would be that some of the tangents were allowed to run on a bit too long, to the point where I almost forgot what the author was talking about in the first place.

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Mar 07, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bryson-bill, 0-natural-sciences

If instead of the eyelids down the corners, the mouth go up, the non-fiction book rocks

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

Being able to portray the most bone-drenched topics with so much humor, wit and charm is a masterpiece and testifies to the talent of the actual travel writer with satirical potential.
As the title says, you get an excursion across world and science history delivered, which seeks in this form unparalleled If instead of the eyelids down the corners, the mouth go up, the non-fiction book rocks

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

Being able to portray the most bone-drenched topics with so much humor, wit and charm is a masterpiece and testifies to the talent of the actual travel writer with satirical potential.
As the title says, you get an excursion across world and science history delivered, which seeks in this form unparalleled and puts the emphasis on the scientific disciplines. One has heard everything before or even an approximate idea in the back of the head, only surprisingly by the well visualizable representations, in this case, much more aspects stick than with, decorated with epochs changing pictograms, timetable diagram from the school lessons.
Much of the readability is based on Bryson's successful effort to portray, in any somewhat theoretical and difficult to understand the area, closeness to, in the broadest sense, protagonists that would have been expected in this form and quality instead in fiction. Moreover, this is his special secret ingredient, which unfortunately is so infinitely challenging to produce. Undoubtedly many ingenious, but literary average scientists and potential non-fiction authors shy away from creating their work for this reason.
Even in still unearthly earthly epics or purely theoretical explanations, Bryson manages to fill the object of contemplation with such a life that the possibilities of association and vividness arouse sympathy for flagellates, quanta and primordial soup.
Also, the fun increases along with the evolution to the preliminary result of the quirky scientist. What ingenious people have to offer in terms of creative behavioral potential in addition to their actual talent, drives on average talented and socially unobtrusive contemporaries double blush in the face. Ordinary in thought and behavior rather than eccentric and brilliant, what injustice.
Be it particular preferences, social anxiety, misanthropic tendencies, peculiar experimental arrangements or neurotic inclinations, geniuses were at all times outlandish contemporaries. Thus, the already given entertainment value potentates with the talent of the author and lead by the way by the essential points of the history of science. Theorems, theories, doctrines, anachronisms and paradigm shifts take hold, and the highlights include the clash of two equal opponents, in this case, scientists.
To what soap-naughty malice people of the mind can be capable of being astonished at given the stereotype of the laboratory-wearing loner. Moreover, with what arguments, tactics and gambles its theses underpinned and in return competing explanations of their right to exist are removed, belongs to the everlasting byproducts of research.
Where the current state of affairs does not seem as entertaining as the debates of bygone days, as one imagines in modern times. However, the current state of knowledge and the concomitant, at all times rock-solid certainty about its correctness and existence, will in future provide similar cheerfulness as the view into the supposedly primitive past.
Just the fact that so many profoundly changing inventions were made purely by chance due to unexpected results of unintentional experiments illustrates the pool of knowledge in the face of the water planet of ignorance.
The only shortcoming is the occasional misstatement of numbers. However, because quite a few scientific points and periods have shifted, reduced or increased remarkably, one can confidently turn a blind eye to this.

Wenn statt den Augenlidern nach unten die Mundwinkel nach oben gehen, rockt das Sachbuch

Mit so viel Witz, Esprit und Charme die knochentrockensten Themen darstellen zu können stellt eine Meisterleistung dar und zeugt vom Talent des eigentlichen Reiseschriftsteller mit satirischem Potential.
Wie der Titel sagt bekommt man eine Exkursion quer durch Welt- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte geliefert, die in dieser Form seinesgleichen sucht und den Schwerpunkt auf die naturwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen legt. Man hat alles schon einmal gehört oder noch eine ungefähre Vorstellung im Hinterkopf, nur erstaunlicherweise bleiben durch die gut visualisierbaren Darstellungen in diesem Fall wesentlich mehr Aspekte haften als beim, mit nach Epochen wechselnden Piktogrammen geschmückten, Zeittafeldiagramm aus dem Schulunterricht. Ein großer Teil der Lesbarkeit fußt auf der erfolgreichen Bemühung Brysons, in jedem eigentlich noch so theoretischen und schwer verständlichen Bereich eine Nähe zu den, im weitesten Sinne, Protagonisten herzustellen, die man in dieser Form und Qualität eher in der Belletristik erwartet hätte. Und das ist seine spezielle geheime Zutat, die leider so unendlich schwer herzustellen ist und sicher viele geniale, aber literarisch durchschnittliche Wissenschaftler und potentielle Sachbuchautoren davor zurückschrecken lässt, ein eigenes Werk zu kreieren.
Selbst in noch menschenleeren Erdepochen oder rein theoretischen Ausführungen gelingt es Bryson, den Gegenstand der Betrachtung derart mit Leben zu füllen, dass die Assoziationsmöglichkeiten und Anschaulichkeit regelrecht Sympathie wecken für Geißeltierchen, Quanten und Ursuppe.
Und der Spaß steigert sich mitsamt der Evolution bis zum vorläufigen Endresultat des schrulligen Wissenschaftlers. Was geniale Menschen an verhaltenskreativen Potential zusätzlich zu ihrer eigentlichen Begabung zu bieten haben, treibt durchschnittlich talentierten und sozial unauffälligen Zeitgenossen doppelte Schamesröte ins Gesicht. Normal im Denken und Verhalten statt exzentrisch und brillant, welch Ungerechtigkeit.
Seien es besondere Vorlieben, Sozialängste, misanthropische Tendenzen, eigentümliche Versuchsanordnungen oder neurotische Neigungen, Genies waren zu allen Zeiten eigentümliche Zeitgenossen. So potenziert sich der schon vorgegebene Unterhaltungswert mit dem Talent des Autors und führt so nebenbei durch die wesentlichsten Punkte der Wissenschaftsgeschichte. Theorien, Lehrmeinungen, Anachronismen und Paradigmenwechsel geben sich die Klinke in die Hand und zu den Höhepunkten gehören die Aufeinandertreffen zweier ebenbürtiger Gegner, in diesem Fall Wissenschaftler.
Zu welch seifenopernhafter Bosheit Menschen des Geistes fähig sein können verblüfft angesichts des Stereotypes vom laborkitteltragenden Einzelgänger. Und mit welch Argumenten, Taktiken und Winkelzügen die eigenen Thesen untermauert und im Gegenzug konkurrierende Erklärungsansätze ihrer Existenzberechtigung enthoben werden, gehört zu den immerwährenden Nebenerscheinungen der Forschung. Wobei der aktuelle Stand der Dinge nicht so unterhaltsam anmutet wie die Debatten vergangener Tage, da man sich in modernen Zeiten wähnt. Aber der aktuelle Wissensstand und die damit einhergehende, zu allen Zeiten felsenfeste Gewissheit über dessen Richtigkeit und Bestand, werden in Zukunft für ähnliche Heiterkeit sorgen, wie der Blick in die vermeintlich primitive Vergangenheit.
Gerade dass so viele, tiefgreifende Veränderungen mit sich bringende, Erfindungen rein zufällig aufgrund unerwarteter Ergebnisse von unbeabsichtigten Experimenten gemacht wurden, veranschaulicht den Tümpel der Erkenntnis angesichts des Wasserplanetens des Unwissens.
Als einzigen Mangel kann man gelegentlich falsche Zahlenangaben anführen. Aber unter dem Aspekt, dass sich schon etliche wissenschaftliche Sachverhalte und Zeiträume extrem verschoben, reduziert oder gesteigert haben, kann man hinsichtlich dessen getrost ein Auge zudrücken. ...more

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About Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson

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William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, FRS was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and worked in journalism until he became a full time writer. He lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to New Hampshire in America for a few years, but they have now returned to live in the UK.

In The Lost Continent, Bil ...more

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“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you.” — 1642 likes

“There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong person.” — 471 likes

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