Ever wonder why Europeans conquered the globe instead of Native Americans or Africans? Unearth the secret of power with Guns, Germs, and Steel. Jared Diamond shakes up history, revealing luck - not intelligence - shaped world domination. This mind-blowing book answers why Eurasia beat out other continents.
Turns out geography was destiny! Eurasia had natural advantages in plants, animals, and landscapes ideal for farming, technology, and disease. For example, Eurasian silk worms gave their people silk clothing and rugs. Meanwhile, zebras and hippos couldn't be tamed like horses and cattle. These headstarts compounded over centuries, as Diamond shows in wild detail.
Diamond brings history alive through immersive stories. When Cortes invaded Mexico in 1519 with just 500 men, he astoundingly overthrew an Aztec army of thousands. How? Eurasian germs like smallpox withered the Aztec empire even before Cortes arrived. Indigenous people tragically lacked immunity. The author sends chills down your spine describing epidemics preceding conquest.
This Pulitzer winner views history from a totally new angle - environment shaping civilizations over 13,000 years. Continental differences multiplied into massive divides in power. Diamond argues Eurasian success wasn't about intelligence - they just got lucky in geography and animals.
Guns, Germs, and Steel will awaken your inner anthropologist. Diamond tracks how small advantages snowballed over time, revealing why world powers emerged where they did. This book will radically change how you view history and the making of societies. You'll never look at civilization the same way again!
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