Now updated--the one-stop guide to significant events in world history Written for students and lifelong learners, this detailed overview of human history takes readers from the discovery of fire to the birth of the Internet. It features new coverage of significant events that have reshaped our world view: the events of September 11, 2001; the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; recent responses climate change; the rise of China, India, and Brazil as world economic powers; and the natural disasters of Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami that devastated Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It also explores the current trends in historical research and how researchers are re-examining everything from the writings of Marco Polo to the arrival of humans in the Americas.