What on Earth happened? : the complete story of the planet, life and people from the big bang to the present day

Christopher Lloyd tells our story from the very beginning of time to the present day, taking giant narrative leaps across millennia and continents. Along the way, he explains exactly how Muslim conquest gave Spain its paella, how the Earth's collision with another young planet created the moon, how dragonflies the size of seagulls emerged out of the prehistoric waters, and how the Big Bang can be detected in your television. Read more... PART 1: MOTHER NATURE (13.7 billion-7 million BC) -- 1. Chrunch, bang, ouch! -- 2. First twitches -- 3. Tectonic teamwork -- 4. Fossil fuss -- 5. Davy Jones's locker -- 6. Friends of the Earth -- 7. Great egg race -- 8. Dino-wars -- 9. Flowers, birds and bees -- 10. Prime time -- PART 2: HOMO SAPIENS (2 million-5000 BC) -- 11. Ice box -- 12. Food for thought -- 13. Humanity -- 14. The great leap forward -- 15. Hunter-gatherer -- 16. Deadly game -- 17. Food crops up -- PART 3: SETTLING IN (5000 BC-c.570 AD) -- 18. Written evidence -- 19. Divine humanity -- 20. Mother goddess -- 21. Triple trouble -- 22. Dragon's lair -- 23. Peace of mind -- 24. East-West divide -- 25. Olympic champions -- 26. Conquerors of the world -- 27. Hurricane force -- 28. Timbuk-taboo -- 29. Amazing Americas -- PART 4: GOING GLOBAL (C.570 AD-present day) -- 30. What a revelation! -- 31. Paper, printing and powder -- 32. Medieval misery -- 33. Treasure hunt -- 34. Moules Mariniere -- 35. Fancy a beer? -- 36. New Pangaea -- 37. Mixed response -- 38. Free reign -- 39. Monkey business -- 40. White man's race -- 41. Back to the future -- 42. Witch way? -- Further reading -- Notes -- Index. Tells our story from the very beginning of time, taking giant narrative leaps across millennia and continents. This book explains how Muslim conquest gave Spain its paella, how the Earth's collision with another young planet caused the moon, and how dragonflies the size of seagulls emerged out of the prehistoric waters.