History Channel's Mankind: The story of all of us (2012)
Some restless soul started venturing of Africa and landed in various parts of the world. How they actually got here is not really explained. Soon after this, there is a slight change in the axis of the earth resulting in significant climate change. Man learns to live in harshest of living conditions. He discovers fire learns to needle clothes and slowly learn to domesticate animals. He starts farming and learns to cultivate wheat in a controlled manner. Charismatic one among the pack leads the group.The series gave an exhaustive coverage of technology and ideas imparted by the Roman (conveniently forgetting the Indus Valley). It also dwells on the Roman Empire most significant product, Christianity and how its effect spread around the world. Even their last Roman king, Constantin, embraced Christianity building the biggest church in the world in Constantinople which later became the biggest mosque (then named Istanbul). The Roman Empire survived for 5 centuries. When they became weak, barbarians from the North took over, and 95% of their knowledge was lost, and Europe was pushed into the dark ages.
Over in the Saudi peninsular, gold, the precious devoured by man for ages help to spread the new religion, Islam to Northern Africa, Europe and Asia. The Islamic civilisation reached its pinnacle. Advances in astronomy, science and engineering were at their climax. There was even a man who successfully conducted a flying experiment and survived!
The frequent clashes between the sons of Abraham, the Christians and the Muslims are recurring events throughout world history and is seem to be still ongoing. Both religions spread all over the world through conquests and through escapism from tortures of life.
The Mongols and their ruthless leader who is claimed to have infused his DNA in at 1 in 200 of all Chinese today is discussed. The silk road and the expansion of trade between the East and the West also bring with it the plague from China. It literally wiped out millions from Asia and Europe. Not knowing the origin of the disease. The Jews were once burnt alive for suspected bringing in disease. With the expansion of population, the disease thrived and even mutated to its pneumonic counterpart which negated the need of a vector.
Salt, which is an essential commodity for man was abundant in Sahara. It propagated commerce and culture. There was even a reputable university in Timbuktu. And gold was found just lying around in the rivers of Mali. Everything came to zilch due to man's greed.
Modern banking started in Venice, and Renaissance happened the plague had settled down.
Amidst the chaos and mayhem of the world, as is known in the Old World, there is peace and balance in the unknown (and unexplored by a white man) continents of North and South America. There was a detailed explanation on the glory of the short-lived Incas civilisation and their mind-boggling Machu Pichu. The Aztec too had a great organised township bigger than London with set rules and education for all. Without the use of horses and wheel technology, the great town of Tenochtitlan was built with its temple. They grew corn and dealt with precious metals. They, however, practised human sacrifice.
Over on the side of the world, the peasant Chinese improved their own age-old invention of gunpowder and revolt to oust the Mongols to establish their own Ming Dynasty when Chinese time of glory reached its zenith! This technology is learnt by the West, and in 40 years, it is perfected to be one man handled killing machine.
In Europe, the era of information comes fore with Gutenburg's printing machine.
When the Turks (Muslims) took over Constantinople by bombing down the impenetrable Walls of Constantinople and essentially control the only known entry to the Silk Road, Europeans (Christians) wanted another form of control of trade in the East. The Portuguese, through Bartholomew Diaz, discovered Cape of Good Hope finding an alternate route to the East. The maverick Italian promised the new crowned King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella a transatlantic route for this purpose. He misjudged the destination big time. He reached the New World, thinking that he had reached Japan.
This opened a floodgate of greedy, manipulative European knocking at the American continent with their superior ammunition and disease like smallpox to wipe out civilisations and their snapping up their gold and silver greedily. Some pirates, like Francis Drake, were even roaming around the Atlantic Ocean with a signed letter from Queen Elizabeth I to seize goods from ships.
With the affluence of precious metal, affluence flourished in Europe. Silver was used as legal tender. The gambling crazy nation of The Netherlands started the future markets, beginning with the sell of their tulip and experiencing their first market crash. And Man has not realised the volatility of the stock market even now. Greed and corruption were widespread in affluent Europe, forcing some puritans to live for a better life in a pristine new environment, the New World.
The earlier pilgrims have a cordial relationship with the natives, with the natives helping them to settle in, teaching them agricultural secrets in the new land. The later visitors were bargain hunters. Animosity grew. The world was introduced to the sweet taste of sugar from South America. Suddenly, the need for slaves and slave trading took centre stage. Silver trade increased. Europe became prosperous again. Fur trade became important and unscrupulous killing of animals began. New York and Russia flourish in the process bringing in migration of workers.
India also prospers from tax gained from businesses and trade. India, with its Moghul king, is the wealthiest monarch with his jewel collection and magnificent building to boast. Navigational sciences also improve to meet the needs.
James Cook, the daredevil explorer and murderer, went out and proved that the southern part of the Pacific Ocean was not empty but had the biggest island continent with its wealth of strange fauna and flora. They, however, forget that an older civilisation was there with vast knowledge on the happenings of the universe. They shot them and proclaimed it as belonging to the Queen of England!
Over on the other side of the world, in the New World, the people are trying with witchcraft and science. Benjamin Franklin debunked the myth that lightning was not a sign of the wrath of God but of electrical current.
Slowly, the subjects of the colony began to determine their own future. They drove the British out of their land and established a democracy.
This revolution snowballed to France with their establishment of a republic, to South America with the driving off the Spaniards and the revolt of the slaves in Haiti.
In the European continent, another revolution takes shape, the Industrial Revolution. The time had come for muscle power to give way to machine power, and the phase of mass production began.
Brothers in America started killing each other over the slave issue. One thing that the Civil War helped to improve is weaponry and mass production.
Railroad construction began in America, and more migration ensued after the Civil War.
From India, came merchandise and cholera which threatened Europe. John Snow, with his astute observation help to avert a catastrophe and starts preventive, investigative medicine. The sewage system was improved.
Over on the side of the world, the peasant Chinese improved their own age-old invention of gunpowder and revolt to oust the Mongols to establish their own Ming Dynasty when Chinese time of glory reached its zenith! This technology is learnt by the West, and in 40 years, it is perfected to be one man handled killing machine.
In Europe, the era of information comes fore with Gutenburg's printing machine.
When the Turks (Muslims) took over Constantinople by bombing down the impenetrable Walls of Constantinople and essentially control the only known entry to the Silk Road, Europeans (Christians) wanted another form of control of trade in the East. The Portuguese, through Bartholomew Diaz, discovered Cape of Good Hope finding an alternate route to the East. The maverick Italian promised the new crowned King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella a transatlantic route for this purpose. He misjudged the destination big time. He reached the New World, thinking that he had reached Japan.
With the affluence of precious metal, affluence flourished in Europe. Silver was used as legal tender. The gambling crazy nation of The Netherlands started the future markets, beginning with the sell of their tulip and experiencing their first market crash. And Man has not realised the volatility of the stock market even now. Greed and corruption were widespread in affluent Europe, forcing some puritans to live for a better life in a pristine new environment, the New World.
The earlier pilgrims have a cordial relationship with the natives, with the natives helping them to settle in, teaching them agricultural secrets in the new land. The later visitors were bargain hunters. Animosity grew. The world was introduced to the sweet taste of sugar from South America. Suddenly, the need for slaves and slave trading took centre stage. Silver trade increased. Europe became prosperous again. Fur trade became important and unscrupulous killing of animals began. New York and Russia flourish in the process bringing in migration of workers.
India also prospers from tax gained from businesses and trade. India, with its Moghul king, is the wealthiest monarch with his jewel collection and magnificent building to boast. Navigational sciences also improve to meet the needs.
| Easter Island, a tribe, cut all the trees to transport their idols of Gods for gratitude that they died of famine |
Over on the other side of the world, in the New World, the people are trying with witchcraft and science. Benjamin Franklin debunked the myth that lightning was not a sign of the wrath of God but of electrical current.
Slowly, the subjects of the colony began to determine their own future. They drove the British out of their land and established a democracy.
This revolution snowballed to France with their establishment of a republic, to South America with the driving off the Spaniards and the revolt of the slaves in Haiti.
In the European continent, another revolution takes shape, the Industrial Revolution. The time had come for muscle power to give way to machine power, and the phase of mass production began.
Brothers in America started killing each other over the slave issue. One thing that the Civil War helped to improve is weaponry and mass production.
Railroad construction began in America, and more migration ensued after the Civil War.
From India, came merchandise and cholera which threatened Europe. John Snow, with his astute observation help to avert a catastrophe and starts preventive, investigative medicine. The sewage system was improved.
By now, England was the wealthiest country in the world with its vast Empire where the sun never set. Possessed with greed to infiltrate into China with its enormous riches and closed-door policy, they introduced opium to the country. At that time, opium was indeed the biggest merchandise traded in the world market.
Industrial explosion continues with assembly-line production. Japan, too, joins the bandwagon with Mitsubishi, a samurai, giving up his ancestral ponytail for a businessman's suit!
Just when the world thought that they were unsinkable, the mighty Titanic saga gave them a reality check.
Rubber is also a kind of unsung hero of industrialisation.
A significant development in the history of man is the power of mass media. The first media awareness came about a missionary teacher, Harris, in Belgian Congo exposed the brutality and genocide practised by the Belgians to get the locals to tap rubber there. Pictures of maimed children filled the newspapers to create awareness of people, including Mark Twain. As a result, King Leopold had to quit from Congo.
Wars are a regular feature of history of man, and it brings out the worst of them and the best for mankind. Infection, a severe complications of battle wounds was treated with the discovery of penicillin.
The world continues to expand with hybrid seeds which could resist harsh growing conditions, nitrogen fertilisers to enrich soil and building of long super-highways like the one in Alaska.
Man never learn from history. The mad pursuit to kill each other, which started at the dawn of time continues until today. Each generation comes with an improved destructive weapon. This generation can boast of a species annihilating atomic bomb. Its ancestor, at the infancy of nuclear bomb production, 'Little Boy', was used in Hiroshima in 1945 to end a war!
The documentary is looking at history from a white man's perspective. Things that appear big deal to us in the East is overlooked, and some even not mentioned at all. The Hindu civilisation in the Indus Valley, the advanced self-sustained township and amenities in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, the sea fairing feats of the Chinese fleet and the spice trade in South East Asia are glaringly missing. It was enlightening though to be exposed to the splendour of the Aztec and Mayan civilisations as well as the pagan practise of the Vikings and Northern Europe before the spread of Christianity to these regions. The producers also gave a fair unbiased minus the condescending view of historical events.
Industrial explosion continues with assembly-line production. Japan, too, joins the bandwagon with Mitsubishi, a samurai, giving up his ancestral ponytail for a businessman's suit!
Just when the world thought that they were unsinkable, the mighty Titanic saga gave them a reality check.
Rubber is also a kind of unsung hero of industrialisation.
| After all the years, still a savage? |
Wars are a regular feature of history of man, and it brings out the worst of them and the best for mankind. Infection, a severe complications of battle wounds was treated with the discovery of penicillin.
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| Little Boy |
Man never learn from history. The mad pursuit to kill each other, which started at the dawn of time continues until today. Each generation comes with an improved destructive weapon. This generation can boast of a species annihilating atomic bomb. Its ancestor, at the infancy of nuclear bomb production, 'Little Boy', was used in Hiroshima in 1945 to end a war!
| Mohenjo-Daro Seal |
We share the same interest .... enjoy watching history channel although I hated histroy during school days.
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