The document summarizes several works that discuss major shifts in human history and culture, including Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, which argues that geographic advantages allowed Europeans to develop agriculture, technology, and immunity to diseases earlier than other groups. It also summarizes The Journey of Man, which describes how genetic research shows all humans originated from a group in Africa that spread across the globe. Additionally, it outlines Catastrophe, which discusses how a massive volcanic eruption around 1500 years ago caused widespread climate changes and societal disruptions.

1. A study developed in the 1980’s that focuses on
history as a whole while showing adaptations in
human history
By Jessica K. Gavin
Big History

2. Guns, Germs, and Steel
• Why are some cultures more advanced than others?
• The book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jarod Diamond explains that the answer lies
in our geographical background
• Europeans had more geographical advantages which cause them to develop faster
than other geographic areas
• They were the first to start agriculture, not just hunt and gather which eventually
led to developing guns, germs, and steel
• Guns: Europe had better weapons compared to everybody
else
• Germs: Spending so much time around animals led to
disease which led the Europeans developing immunity to a
plethora of different pathogens
• Steel: Europe developed a controlling military organization
• Developing these three things first was a complete accident
and was all caused by geographic advantages
• Europeans favorable conditions led to white domination
• The book says any culture with geography with lots of land,
large group of people and isolated empire created
advantages

3. The Journey of Man
• The basis of this movie is that everyone on Earth
stemmed from the same group of people based in
Africa.
• The colony branched out on a journey across the
globe which created all the different societies we
have today.
• The reason we all look different is due to the
climates and difficulties the change in geography
caused the walkers.
• The video follows a scientist traveling across the
world to research the walkers exact journey.
• His method of research involves getting DNA
samples from several different people that show
everyone on Earth has a strand of DNA that is the
same. This DNA strand started with the walkers
that left Africa.
• The scientists results show the walkers started in
Africa and traveled along the coast to Australia
first, then walked north discovering what is now
Europe, Asia, China, and the Mid-East. During the
ice age, the group was able to cross over into what
is now Alaska to discover North America and then
South America.

4. Catastrophe
• Researching trees can show a lot that happened in
our history. Trees around the world show that
something epic happened about 1500 years ago.
• The only thing that could have caused such drastic
changes would be a volcano.
• This volcano was so large is cause the entire planet
to go through a climate change.
• This climate change had several consequences
• First, the Turks defeated the Avars which cause the
Avars to move and take over Rome
• The Teotihuacan city could not survive the climate
change and collapsed
• The plague that was attacking Rome move to Britain
and attacked the west side which led to the east
side taking over
• The volcano destroyed the dam in Yamen which
cause the entire city to collapse
– Residents moved toward Medina and Meca where
they grew stronger and eventually developed the
religion of Islam

5. Peoples and Empires
• Peoples and Empires, by Anthony Pagden, tells the stories
of four empires: Roman, Spanish, French, and the British
• These four empires had a great influence on the modern
world and each other
• Main topics discussed:
• Colonies
• Civilization and
Barbarism
• Periphery
• Justification of
conquerors
• The influence the empires
had
• The spread of religion
• Shaped the way the
Americas look today
• Caused certain people
to flee to the Americas
• Influenced languages
we use today

6. The Day the Universe Changed
• The main concept of this movie is the world only exists as we perceive it
• If you change the way you perceive the world, the world will change
• One key phrase James Burke uses is “we are what we know”
• One way we change the way we see the world is due to our curiosity
• Our curiosity has caused us to ask questions which gives us answers that can last
for years
James Burke
• For example, geometry was created because
someone took the shape of the Egyptian
pyramids, turned the triangle upside down and
created a new shape
• The answers that we have found from asking
questions have shaped the western hemisphere
into what we know today