Alternative History of Western Civilization

Author: American
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: The vividness of history often lies in its details. This book is one that provides a wealth of details. For what knowledge you already possess, it may be a surprising supplement. You will see brand-new stories about many aspects such as art, crime, medicine, religion, politics, business, and daily life. And these interesting stories are something you won't find in those dull textbooks. When we read about almost everyone and everything in the past in textbooks, we often find that the author's narration is too logical, too orderly. — In fact, history is chaotic. This book may help you broaden your horizons and understand our ancestors more authentically, but most importantly, we believe this book will bring you joy. Knowledge doesn't have to be serious. Remember the articles you read about Thomas Edison? Without a doubt, those articles told you about many of the inventions of this genius, such as the electric light, photography, and motion pictures. But did those books mention Edison's involvement in the invention of the electric chair? Did they mention the brutal business rivalry between him and George Westinghouse, a fight that nearly led to a duel with electric shocks? I doubt they did. This book aims to find a starting point where most encyclopedias and textbooks leave off, to find an unacknowledged supplement. When I read about almost everything in the past, I always find that the author's approach is too logical, too orderly, too narrow. In fact, history is chaotic. Napoleon lost everything at Waterloo. Historians can cite 100 different reasons, but they rarely include his hemorrhoids among them. Yet, because of his hemorrhoids, this great strategist was unable to ride out to observe the battle and his troops. Am I saying that Napoleon's painful buttocks changed the course of history? Yes, why not? Because to emphasize the human side, some of the crude little incidents in history would make textbook compilers very uncomfortable. History is no longer progressing logically from battle to battle, from one era to another, even if these logical sequences are like the ticking of a classroom clock, urging you to fall asleep. Yes, if that's the case, then let's deal with this mess, and let...