Big HistoryBrandon Murray

BIG HISTORYExamines the past from a broad range of sciencesCame from a desire to go outside the traditional ways of study Spans history from the beginning of time to our modern dayBig history looks for repetitions and subjects that have repeated over the yearsThe first experimental courses were taught in the late 80’s by a Methodist University and San Diego State University

THE DAY THE UNIVERSE CHANGED

You see what your knowledge tells you your seeing

Rationalist ideology originated in Greece

Able to ask questions to get answers to improve

way of life

All world powers have thought their way of life was

the best

Military might to defend your version of life

The more power, the higher the value life has in

that society

Some cultures still living in past because they do

not want to change

Instead of taking decades or centuries to change,

may only take days now

Western culture always trying to come to terms

with constant change

THE JOURNEY OF MANSpencer Wells, a geneticist, found evolutionary way to

trace the origins of manTen years of research revealed an unchanging Y chromosomeThe Y chromosome that passes from father to son always unchangedBlood tests are used to trace this Y chromosome from generation to generationEarliest culture originated in Africa according to blood tests

CATASTROPHE1500 years ago, in mid 6th century the cause of Dark Ages“Sun went dark and rain poured red” says an accountRoman accounts of bizarre weather-18 months with small amounts of lightRained yellow dust in ChinaDavid Keys developed idea for reasoning behind extreme cold and devastating effects After 5 years of research and views of 40 different scientistsA comet or volcano are possible causes, more proof towards volcanoA tree ring study combined with ice cores from Antarctica show major weather change

COMET OR VOLCANOTheory of comet

exploding but there is no meteoric debrisMyths from King Arthurs time describe what could be falling debrisNot much more proof for a comet compared to a possible volcanic eruptionSulfates found in polar ice caps

Chinese records talk of loud bang from southwestSouthern China the most concentrated area of volcanoesJapanese Book of Kings describes the Island Java being split in twoCharts of the ocean floor around Java and Sumatra show possible clues the island was blown apart

Havoc WreakedThe last great subsistence problem in the worldExtreme cold from volcanic ash blocking sun lightCold temperatures led to disease, famine, and droughtThe bubonic plague in Europe from rats infected with fleasCold weather causes clots in fleas stomachs and rat populations flourish in coldInfected, starving fleas jump to rats which jumped on trade shipsNo rain led to no water and essentially no sanitationCrops could not be produced in environmentAvars lived in horse run economyThe cold made grass essentially useless to a horse but cattle flourishedTurks lived in cattle economy, and were thriving at this timeTurks able to defeat the most advanced horsemen in world

GEOGRAPHYPeople started life as hunter gathersHunting was very unpredictable and took a considerable amount of timeThe rewards reaped in a hunt were not enough to provide for a huge societyThen came the time to become gatherersMore productive but harder work and barely enough calories to surviveA protein deficient population After the return of Ice Age some 11,000 years ago people started to grow foodMiddle Eastern societies were the first with wheat and barleyFrom the Chinese came rice, and the Americas with corn, beans, and squashDomestication of animals brought another form of nutrition Animals were able to do the work that was required by humansA total of 14 domesticated animals in the world, 13 of which came from Eurasia

New LifeWith an easier way of living came more time to thinkMiddle Eastern peoples moved to the east and west due to droughtThe move was along the same climate and time zonePeople’s days no longer had to be centered around survivalTheir crops and animals easily adjusted due to no drastic climate changeThey became immune to diseases from the animalsGun powder and the use of steel for swords came into existence Possible reason for the destruction of the Inca by the SpanishThe Spanish were from the east to west area where the steel, gun powder, immunity, and food came fromThe disease from Europeans was new to the New WorldNew World had really no disease because there were no domesticated animals living with them or even in the country

COLUMBO

Christopher Columbus, born 1951 in Italian GenoaFrom a humble wool weaving familyAlways fascinated by the ancient Orient stories of gold and spiceDesired to find away around the Muslim worldInspired by Marco Polo and Venice, he soon set out to find his own treasuresNever made it to his desired place, but succeeded in bringing a divided world togetherSaved Christianity by giving the western hemisphere to the Spanish

GLOBALIZATIONThe uniting of two separate worlds into oneThis showed that the globe was not a single ecumene encompassed by a huge seaEuropean crops and animals were transported to the AmericasCrops from the Americas spurred enormous population growth throughout the globeThe human diet was radically improved for cultures all over the worldSome of our favorites today like chocolate and coffee came to America form Eurasian countriesMany lives were also lost from these new food storesThe livestock from Europe brought diseases like small pox and measles Most native populations were almost completely wipeout