This document provides a summary of big history from ancient times to the modern era in a series of images and captions: 1) It begins with images of old and new handheld history books, showing the increasing accessibility of history. 2) Images then show evidence of early humans like Neanderthals and how modern Europeans' ancestors have changed. 3) The role of natural disasters like volcanic eruptions in driving climate change and catastrophes that impacted humanity is discussed. 4) Images depict the meeting of Native American and European cultures when Columbus arrived in 1492 and how diseases and agriculture allowed Europeans to conquer the New World. 5) Various cash crops originally from the Americas that transformed

1. Big History
By
Michael A. Lippke

2. The Way We Are
Two different Big History books.
•The picture on the left is a copy of the first handheld big history book from 1240CE;
it was copied and autographed by the scribe R Israel Ben Isaac. It is considered
priceless by some collectors.
• The handheld big history book in the picture on the right is one of the newest
variety available. History has become much more accessible to the common man.

3. Old origin History
Now it was finally proven—though known by some for thousands of
years—that they are not our direct descendents
• On the left is Europeans of the Neanderthal age
•On the right is Europeans of this age

4. New origin fact
• Two San Bushman on the left—Adam was a San Bushman. Notice their
original style of bows and arrows for hunting.
• On the right is how some of us in this age look now—notice his new
style of bow and arrows for hunting. So much has changed, but yet so
little has changed, as there are so many similarities in the old and new.

5. The larger the catastrophe the bigger the change
•David Keys very interesting explanation on the origin of the modern
world.
•Here is a picture of one small explosion of the volcano Krakatau. This is
the catalyst for the world climate change and resulting famine and
plague in about 535CE.

6. Weather determines so much
• On the top is the result of temperature change—plague and famine
• On the bottom is a representation of a graphic (this graphic is actually
from the little ice age proceeding the medieval time period ) of how a
small temperature change can effect mankind making prosperity or
plague and famine. Krakatau, in an explosion bigger than on the previous
slide, caused dramatic temperature change in about 535CE.

7. Two cultures meet in the 15th century
•Many so called Native Americans (really just the first to arrive here—by
about 10,000 years) dressed like this when Columbus arrived in 1492.
•This is a drawing of the Iberians of 1492. This is what they came to the
New World with.

8. Guns, Germs, Steel and Domesticated Animals
• Thistitle is not quite as appealing as Guns, Germs, and
Steel, but it is more accurate because this is how the
New World was conquered by the Old World so quickly
and decisively.

9. The Dream of Columbus
• As a young Genoan, Columbus dreamed of a route
around Muslim middle men who marked up the price of
Oriental spice many times. His voyage was all about
making more profit for himself and his benefactors.
• The inset is some Oriental spices AKA “the dream.”

10. Cacao
I love chocolate
•Here are the some of the different looks of
the cacao bean found in the New World.

11. More Cash Crops from the New World
•The top three pictures are tobacco as a flowering plant,
as strands for a hookah and in the form of a cigaro.
• Potatoes are also originally from the Americas.