History of the World in Two Hours

Although the actual running time on History of the World in Two Hours is less than 120 minutes (due to commercials in the original TV broadcast), the documentary still stands as an impressive achievement, taking viewers from the Big Bang to the Information Age in a short period, while extrapolating larger resonant themes along the way. The story begins 14 billion years ago with all of the universe's incredibly condensed matter and energy mysteriously exploding in a fraction of a second into a cosmos with the tools for creating the building blocks of life on Earth. Viewers follow our world's slow process of readying itself for creatures in the ocean and on land, with the rise of mammals occurring almost by accident following the destruction of dinosaurs after their 160-million-year reign. The documentary summarizes the adaptability of early humans to natural changes (the spread of grasslands, the Ice Age, the division of continents) that promoted migration and (eventually) the formation of societies. Humanity's natural tendency to network—whether for trade or conquest or sharing information via linked computers—would ultimately spread everything from inventions to religions to diseases. Combining wonderful CGI effects and substantial commentary from an array of scientists, this engaging overview is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (T. Keogh)