The Story of the World in 100 Moments

by Neil Oliver

'Oliver is an evocative storyteller, vividly bringing his tales to life' BBC HistoryFrom Genghis Khan's domination on earth to Armstrong's first steps on the moon, discover the 100 moments that defined humanity and shaped our world forever.Neil Oliver takes us on a whistle-stop tour around the world and through a million years to give us this unique and invaluable grasp of how human history pieces together.From the east to the west, north to south, these 100 moments act like stepping stones allowing us to make sense of how these pivotal events have shaped the world we know today.Including many moments readers will expect - from the advent of the printing press to the birth of the internet - there are also surprises, and with them, some remarkable, unforgettable stories that give a whole new insight on our past.From the bestselling author of The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places , this is outstanding new history of how our world was made from 5000 BC to the present.*********************Praise for Neil Oliver'Neil Oliver writes beautifully - bringing the past to life and letting us see ourselves in a new light.' - Professor Alice Roberts'Brilliantly demonstrates Neil's mastery of the broad sweep of British history and landscape.' - Dan Snow'Highly-crafted...a vivid, pungent history.' - TLS'Compelling' - Daily Mail

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World History, Audiobook, Historical, Ancient History, Politics

418 pages, Hardcover

Published September 16, 2021

About the author

Neil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian, broadcaster and writer who has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television's series A History of Scotland and Coast.

His first fiction novel, Master of Shadows, is published by Orion in September 2015.

He lives in Stirling with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This chap can’t get to the point. It’s mainly waffle. What I found most irritating was that the title of a chapter might well,one might think, indicate the subject of said chapter. In some cases the subject of the title might only receive the merest reference. I’m sure Neil has an encyclopaedic knowledge of history, shame he can’t convey it. I am not condemning his literary skills but I feel the style he has chosen does not suit the subject matter.

[Stephanie (Bookfever) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew that The Story of the World in 100 Moments would be a great read and I was not disappointed. I've been wanting to read a Neil Oliver book for ages since I've only seen some of his documentaries but not read any of his books before and I'm glad my first one could be this epic.

First of all, I can't imagine how difficult it had to be to pick 100 moments from history from all around to world for this book. Neil Oliver points out that the moments he picked are definitely his personal choices and other people, whether they're historians or not, might very well pick other things. And this is true. I probably would've switches some moments with others that I think mattered more but even so this was a fantastic book to read.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful writing. I had no idea the author had such a lovely prose. It was just a joy to read, really. Reading these chapters one after the other also made me realize just how connected our moments in history really were, from the beginning of civilization to our current modern times. It's pretty extraordinary when you think about it. The chapters were fairly short (just as I like em!) so I flew through this book in no-time. It was an unputdownable read!

[Debbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy book to put down and come back to later. Each chapter is a different theme and era in human history. Oliver has an interesting way of weaving a story out of historical information.

[Alicia Verstraeten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely speechless. The author has this amazing way of telling stories and using the right words when doing so.

I have been underlining the shit out of this book.

[Dropbear123 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 rounding up for Goodreads. It was a gift so I don't want to be too negative.

About 400 pages with very short chapters, some only 2 pages long (like on Henry IV and the investiture issue in the 11th century). Pretty well written and casual in tone so easy to pick up and read a chapter then stop. A mix of historical 'moments' are chosen but there is a decent amount on technology, some cultural moments, and some political moments, as well as a few stories of individuals. I think I got more out of the earlier ancient moments, due to a mix of me not knowing as much about the Babylonians or whoever and Oliver being an archaeologist who I suppose would know more about the ancient past than the recent past (the ancient chapters felt longer as well and make up a decent chunk of the book).

Criticism - Apart from a few namedrops of historians there is no real list of sources or even a brief bibliography. Very little depth due to how short the chapters are. Oliver does go on some weird tangents at times trying to make points about modern politics. For example taking Caesar crossing the Rubicon to talk about how societies fall to totalitarianism and Hannah Arendt which are topics that might be worth reading about but is a bit out of place in a small chapter of a casual world history book.

Overall I would say if you are just starting to get into history or are looking for a casual book that can be read for a few minutes a day then this might be worth a read. If you are already quite into history then maybe not.

[Dan Cohen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really do it for me. The history is too shallow and the writing too flowery. It might suit someone who doesn't like typical history books.

[Clare Kirwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this gallop through history spotlighting moments the author feels have been most significant, from ancient accountancy to the death of the last remaining participant in the Great War. Some are very obvious - the sack of Rome, the moon landing - others more obscure, especially when Oliver attempts to broaden out to include geographical areas lesser-examined by Western historians.

[Doroteea Sandor · Rating 4 out of 5]

puțin plictisitoare și se prea pierdea prin detalii pe alocuri dar mi-a plăcut overall

[Matt Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting, some obvious ‘moments’ included, as well as some less obvious ones. A very funny story about Neil Armstrong on the final rung of the ladder before stepping foot on the moon. Neil Oliver makes history come alive - from the big stories to the intensely personal ones.

[Kevin Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book does have an abundance of interesting information dotted across the globe. Neil Oliver fails to deliver impactful writing often wasting a sizeable portion of the chapter on frivolous descriptions.

Would not recommend to read in my opinion.

[D.A. Cairns · Rating 4 out of 5]

History with a difference. I'm always on the look out for books which tackle history alternative perspectives and use interesting narrative styles. As the author himself said in the acknowledgments at the end of the book, this was a big, big thing to take on. The history of the world boiled down to just 100 moments. How would the author go about that? How would he decide which moments were in and which were left out? He explains it all in the introduction.

The subjectivity of the choices is what largely appealed to me about 100 Moments. Of course, I was curious. Would I find the moments the author chose as significant as he did? Would he leave out some which I thought should definitely be in there, and leave out some which I would have included? The premise is very attractive which is really why I chose it.

So, let's get into the weeds. First, the book is chock full of fascinating historical tidbits. I loved all those morsels of trivia. In the early chapters, Oliver kept using the term "apes like us" which was making me ape!"£$ crazy. I nearly gave up. Firstly because, I am not an ape nor do I believe humans descended form apes. Secondly, I recognized the author held a different world view to mine and I suspected he would be unbalanced, even prejudiced in his selection of moments. Even into chapter 6, I was still troubled by this thought.

In chapter 9 he wrote about dwindling numbers of Christians, but did not specify which country or countries he was talking about. That was almost the end, but I hung in there because, even though the syntax was a bit jarring, I was enjoying Oliver's spin on things; it was a colourful and authentic. My patience was rewarded in chapter 23 (the 23rd of the 100 moments when Oliver wrote that he didn't believe in the resurrection story (Jesus' resurrection - I'm not sure anyone can deny this historical fact, but anyway), but he was impressed by the longevity, power, and influence of the story. Later he described the Bible as being the most influential book ever written. He won points for honesty and impartiality.

It is hard to write a short review of a history of the world. Suffice to say, I enjoyed it a lot, despite being occasional irritated by it, and even less often wondering about the author's choices. It flows well with solid and meaningful connections across the millennia it covers. The History of the World in 100 Moments is compelling because its personal and its about people. I think that's what I liked most. The focus was on people.

[Harry Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Neil. I like his programs and appreciate his willingness to speak his mind on political issues. He’s obviously an intelligent man. But I don’t like his style of writing.

I can’t help but feel that this book could have been a lot better if only it had been better written. The language is flowery, long-winded and attempts to be poetic rather than accessible. I felt that the book could have been half as long and twice as clear/succinct.

I appreciate that writing a book about the story of the world in 100 is a massive undertaking that’s almost destined to fail from the get to - and I appreciate that Neil took the challenge on. And I suppose that you need a degree of poetic license to help a history book retain the readers interest throughout. But Neil’s rambling style made a lot of the material much harder to comprehend than it needed to be.

I’m no expert historian. I came into this book, thinking it would be a simple history of the world (given the title and the cover art). Yet it seemed that there’s an expectation that the reader should already have a fairly thorough understanding of history and its figures. Perhaps my expectations were wrong or my historical knowledge lacking.

In saying all this, I would still recommend this book to someone looking for a fairly brief history of the world - just don’t expect it to be an easy read. I did learn a lot and found it particularly interesting how Neil drew comparisons between ancient and modern events - there are some timely warnings to behold. I will likely even return to this book in the future as a reference for historical moments that I want to learn more about in other texts.

Do give it a go. Perhaps you’ll find it easier going than I. And I have no doubt that you’ll learn something along the way.

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book and the way the Neil Oliver managed to bring our world down to just 100 moments. This is not a history book, but a recapping of our evolution and the influence that people, technology, and understanding have had on humans and our world. I loved the relaxed, but informative style of writing that Neil Oliver uses, he is not out to educate us rather he is wanting to inform us of key people and events that have had an impact on us and our world.
The range of topics is diverse but the importance of: knowledge and the imparting of that knowledge; the development of writing; the importance of being able to freely share our knowledge with the rest of humanity (without fear of punishment): and the impact that knowledge has are prominent. Neil Oliver takes us through his chosen moments with precision and a clear text. It is fun, it is entertaining and yes, I did learn things from it. I did like the way that diverse topics were woven together to bring us to the 21st Century.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have FINALLY finished this book. This is not due to a fault in the book; rather that it was my design, and perhaps the author's, that it be read in intermittent sessions. It is still, however, a relief to 'reach the present day'.
This book detailed aspects of our world history that were new to me, as well as satisfyingly 'padding out' moments that weren't. My highlights would be the invention of 'money' (representing 'proof of work') in Cappadocia, Polybius' instructive theory of political evolution, Anacyclosis, Charles the Simple's world being upended by a viking, and Mr Gorsky's moon-landing mention.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating trip through the centuries looking at the significant moments that have shaped the direction of the world, from the work of Enheduanna 4,300 years ago up to the passing of the last soldiers from the First World War. The 100 moments range across the globe and through the ages, giving food for thought about how they have changed the world and the impact that is felt to the present day.

This was nicely written with a good balance of facts and analysis, a touch of humour in the right places, and some unusual choices that made me want to find out more about them. An entertaining and satisfying read.

[Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an engaging way to show the history of the world in a slightly sociological yet still archaeo-historical way. The author selects certain events and/or people to identify seminal moments in history, however these could only be known in hindsight, i.e. looking back, because at the time they happened, it would not have been apparent what the subsequent chain of events would be nor perhaps their importance. Very enjoyable and a great way to refresh one's world history whether or not you agree with his choices and interpretation of some events.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has got me a little stumped with the selection of chosen moments and for Neil Oliver this book must have been a grand task. Did he do a good job? Yes, maybe or it was OK. I have really enjoyed the quick chapters and the summing up but as the book concluded I kind of felt upset, upset as the moments were war torn and extremely painful. Seems we are ending in war, terrorism and the good parts have all but left us. But hey, maybe that's the way at the end of an empire. Wow, I've left a happy review.. Not lol

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a personal 100 moments and beautifully written although I would have said Magna Carta he did sneak it in cleverly with the American constitution I loved it and learned a lot of stuff especially in the ancient section taking us to the Halfway point. The achievement of this book was no mean feat the achievement of us as humanity well that’s debatable when we’ve so much history we should have learned from.

[Wendy Charlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it took moments personal to the Author for a particular reason and plotted our worlds development to present day. From the writing of the first hymn to some of the most spectacular villains (Gengis Khan and Hitler) to man walking on the moon plots a remarkable journey. I enjoy Neil Olivers programmes and find his presentation style quite lyrical which was echoed in his writing too. Nice short chapters made it easy to read, even if you are not a history fan.

[Ian Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew something of pretty much all Neil Oliver's 100 Moments, but still came away with the feeling that I had a better understanding and that the connections of world history have been better explained. I struggled little over the first chapters with the style of writing, it felt a little bit dramatic to my ear at the start, but that seemed to fade early on. I liked the format of many short items with something significant to impart.

[Finley Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable and easy read. I found his writing style a little hard to follow at times, as he tends to waffle or go on a random tangent. But for painting a brief overview of human history it does the job. I enjoyed it more later in the book.

It’s probably a good starting point to go away and read more on particular chapters that interested me more, as some of the chapters were very brief.

Bonus points for Kupe mention

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Writing a supposed chronology of the world, then placing the Holocaust immediately before Jesus's birth, for literally no reason, is just parodically silly. Yes, we live in the post-Nuremberg world; and, yes, that trial's outcome comprises our new latent stress media (Mühlmann), but that creative choice was just wrong. Beyond that, this survey was entirely basic. Some facts committed. Many facts omitted. Little of consequence said.

[Vicki Horsburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont usually like history books, I find them stiff and, for lack of a better term, boring. This book, however, is the exception. Very easy to read and in short chapters I feel like I have been thoroughly educated more so than when I was a schoolgirl. I would recommend to anyone who isn't a history buff.

[Brooke Jacobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read from Scottish archaeologist and journalist Neil Oliver. Lots of "big" historical moments here, including the Wright brothers flight, but also loads of super interesting "tiny" moments that still echo through history and make the world what it is today.
Great to either dip in and out of, or read in one sitting.

[F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver himself mentions in the introduction, this book is about his story of the world and his 100 moments.

The book is like a trailer for historic events you want to read more about. With chapters of 1.5-3 pages long, he only provides a highlight of the “moment” and not a proper historical account.

[Ryan Freebury · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times frustrating in the meandering prose, but the further I went into it the more it looped back to 'moments' already discussed and felt more united and cohesive

Even though each chapter is small, it took me a good while to read and I put that down to the fact it could be picked up and digested in such small bites and didn't hold me there for larger chunks

[India (IndiaReadsALot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am slowly getting more and more into non-fiction and I read this in audio form! Which is one of my favourite ways to get non-fiction content into my life.

I loved the writing, the narration and being able to learn about things I previously wouldn't;t have known.

[Jon Debly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oliver is at his best when he is merely describing and at his worst when he is trying to entertain or instruct. While his survey of history is a pleasant reader, it is best when Oliver is letting the history itself shine without his commentary getting in the way.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My nightly audio book for the past month. Enjoyable, but tended to be too interesting with the one more chapters keeping me awake.

[Colin Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some moving and thought provoking chapters. Neil Oliver takes us on a thinking journey around the world.
Finishing one if his books leaves me wanting to start another.