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History That Changed Us

History That Changed Us

History That Changed Us gathers summaries of books about the people, choices and turning points that shaped the course of humanity. They range from the long sweep of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari to Ibn Khaldūn's The Muqaddimah and Rashid Khalidi's The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, covering empires, wars and the movements behind them. Each summary takes about 15 minutes in text or audio.

Sapiens

Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari

Trace humanity’s rise through shared beliefs, cooperation, and technology while rethinking progress and our place in the future.

8 chapters18 min
The Cold War

The Cold War

Robert J. McMahon

Understand how the rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union reshaped global politics, warfare, ideology, and modern history.

8 chapters23 min
The Message

The Message

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Journey through Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine to uncover how powerful narratives shape identity, conceal injustice, and define what societies accept as truth.

6 chapters20 min
The Sleepwalkers

The Sleepwalkers

Christopher Clark

Trace how nationalism, alliances, and political misjudgements led Europe into World War I while its leaders remained blind to the approaching disaster.

10 chapters22 min
The Fate of Rome

The Fate of Rome

Kyle Harper

Rethink Rome’s fall through the climate shifts, pandemics, politics, and wars that combined to bring down one of history’s greatest empires.

7 chapters25 min
The Wretched of the Earth

Confront the psychological and political violence of colonialism and explore Fanon’s radical vision of liberation, dignity, justice, and human renewal.

5 chapters21 min
The Muqaddimah

The Muqaddimah

Ibn Khaldūn

Discover Ibn Khaldun’s timeless explanation of how social cohesion, leadership, economics, and environment drive the rise and fall of civilisations.

9 chapters22 min
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

Reexamine a century of Palestinian history through colonialism, global power, displacement, resistance, and the enduring struggle for justice and self-determination.

7 chapters24 min
Destiny Disrupted

Destiny Disrupted

Tamim Ansary

Revisit world history through the rise, ideas, and influence of Islamic civilisation, revealing its vital role in humanity’s shared story.

9 chapters24 min
Empire

Empire

Niall Ferguson

Examine how the British Empire shaped globalisation, capitalism, politics, and culture while leaving a lasting legacy of achievement, exploitation, and injustice.

9 chapters24 min
The Wide Wide Sea

The Wide Wide Sea

Hampton Sides

Follow Captain James Cook’s final voyage, where exploration, ambition, empire, and cultural misunderstanding converge in tragedy.

7 chapters23 min
The Anarchy

The Anarchy

William Dalrymple

Witness how the East India Company transformed commerce into conquest, revealing the devastating power of corporate ambition, greed, and empire.

7 chapters20 min
Guns, Germs and Steel

Understand how geography, agriculture, technology, and disease shaped the rise of civilisations, global power, and inequality rather than race.

4 chapters18 min
A Short History of Nearly Everything

Journey through the history of science to uncover how the universe, Earth, and life began in a clear and captivating way.

8 chapters23 min