A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

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In the early 1800s there arose in England a fashion for inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, after it was discovered that its use ‘ was attended by a highly pleasurable thrilling’. For the next half- century it would be the drug of choice for young people.” How groovy is that?

And indeed, isn't that what science education needs most: more humanity and less intimidation? Those science-phobes out there who freely admit their near-complete ignorance of the subject should do themselves a favor and buy a copy of this book. No, don't get it from your library. There's so much here you'll want to have a copy on hand to refer to later. In Part 1, “Lost in the Cosmos,” Bryson explains how a universe like ours is formed: all of the matter in existence is compressed into a tiny, dimensionless area and then undergoes a rapid expansion (or “Big Bang”), creating all the space that exists as it spreads out. The Big Bang theory, along with “inflation theory” (the notion that the universe is expanding), were formulated in the 20th century. Bryson emphasizes how the conditions that formed our universe were extraordinary: if one small factor had been different, life as we know it would never have come about. Bryson's book is very entertaining and informative. The illustrations are fun, if not terribly useful in helping to understand the text. There's a fair bit of repetition, which is good. Some of the info is given in sAlso remember the lessons of Thomas Midgley – avoid doing harm. Who was Thomas Midgley? Perhaps you need to read this book. In fact, you might want to keep it in your library. Happy readings.

In the article concerning global warming, Bryson paints a picture that we really don't know if the Earth is warming up and if so, what is causing it. The fact that Mother Nature sends out hundred's of billions of tons of carbon dioxide via volcanoes and dead and decaying flora and fauna was an interesting fact I had neither heard nor considered before now. The net effect including humanities' contribution however is tipping the balance in favor of the global warming argument. Good for science, but very BAD for us. Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between. The list of sciences included is exhaustive, I spotted whole bunch but I’m also convinced I missed a few. My list comprises: I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written' Sunday Telegraph It's the sort of book I would have devoured as a teenager. It might well turn unsuspecting young readers into scientists.' Evening Standard

Now, the book was released in 2008, so you might think that some things have changed. You would be right, but what is 15 years when measured against, millenniums, or, actually, even millions of years. Some things change, but so much remains, more or less, the same. Staff of BBC Focus (July 2006). "How to... Make a Mint From Science". BBC Focus: 54. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help) William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, FRS was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and worked in journalism until he became a full time writer. He lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to New Hampshire in America for a few years, but they have now returned to live in the UK. Gratzer, Walter (August 2003). "A stranger in a strange land". Nature. 424 (6950): 725. Bibcode: 2003Natur.424..725G. doi: 10.1038/424725a. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4418326. Regis, Ed (2003-05-18). "Atoms the Size of Peas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-07-24.

Bill Bryson wrote this book because he was dissatisfied with his scientific knowledge—that was, not much at all. He writes that science was a distant, unexplained subject at school. Textbooks and teachers alike did not ignite the passion for knowledge in him, mainly because they never delved into the whys, hows, and whens. This is one of the few books that has truly challenged what I had previously held to be conventional wisdom (at least in my own mind). Two main changes have come about:

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People have always exchanged recommendations and warnings with their friends, but it became clear that a more systematic approach was needed. There had to be a place where book-consumers could post advice and help each other avoid these infuriating mistakes, so that everyone could be sure of reading nothing but up-to-the-minute YA erotic paranormal romances. Okay, so here's my Bill Bryson story. I was in The Gladstone, a public house not too far from this very keyboard, with my friend Yvonne, who will remain nameless. We had been imbibing more than freely. A guy approached our table and asked me in a sly surreptitious manner if I was him. Him who? Was I Bill Bryson? Now it is true that I bear a very slight resemblance