A Story of Civilization in 50 Disasters: From the Minoan Volcano to Climate Change

If you think about major world disasters, you can probably rattle off a few – Vesuvius, The Black Death, The Irish Potato Famine – but did you realize how often such disasters have actually changed the course of civilization? This book looks at fifty of these disasters, some of which are natural, many which were man-made, or made much worse by poor human choices. They are selected from around the globe and follow the history of humanity; somewhat ironically, half the disasters happened in the last century, as the human population has skyrocketed. As population centers become even more densely packed, more people are affected by a disaster.

In this book you will learn about several earthquakes, eruptions, plagues, and floods, but also factory and nuclear poisonings, pollutions, poverty, oil spills, and more. The book is written with tight, engaging prose that is easily accessible to readers middle-grade and above as is entertaining and informative for all ages. Plenty of photographs, maps, diagrams, and related side boxes also keep readers engaged. There is an extensive research section including glossary, notes, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading, which would be very helpful for middle and early high-school aged researchers. This book would be a great resource for teachers as well as for anyone interested in this unique way to look at world history.