A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters

The History in 50 series explores history by telling thematically linked stories. Each book includes 50 illustrated narrative accounts of people and events some well-known, others often overlooked that, together, build a rich connect-the-dots mosaic and challenge conventional assumptions about how history unfolds. The Fall 2015 list also includes A History of Travel in 50 Vehicles. Future titles include A History of Medicine in 50 Discoveries, A History of American Culture in 50 Innovators, A History of the Universe in 50 Milestones, A History of Sports in 50 Athletes, and A History of Progress in 50 Hoaxes. In A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters, Gale Eaton weaves tales of the disasters that happen when civilization and nature collide. Volcanoes, fires, floods, and pandemics have devastated humanity for thousands of years, and human improvements such as molasses holding tanks, insecticides, and deepwater oil rigs have created new, unforeseen hazards yet civilization has advanced not just in spite of these disasters but in part because of them.