Written by David Christian
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 32 Kbps

At 13.7 billion years ago, the Universe suddenly appears, growing from the size of an atom to the size of a galaxy in a fraction of a second.

At 10 billion years ago, hydrogen atoms and helium atoms fuse at the center of a supernova to create the building blocks of the physical world.

At 4.6 billion years ago, a cloud of matter collapses to produce a star-our Sun. Earth and the other planets in our solar system form out of the remaining bits of matter swirling around the new star.

At 67 million years ago, an asteroid collides with the Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs, and leaves territory open for the rise of a minor order of organisms, the early mammals.

At 100,000–60,000 years ago, a species of hominines-bipedal ape-like creatures- begins to move out of its home territory in Africa and into the Asian continent.

Today, the descendants of those first hominines-homo sapiens-live in nearly every ecological niche. We fly through the air in planes, communicate instantaneously over immense distances, and develop theories about the creation of the Universe.

Each of these scenarios is just one episode in an ever-evolving story: the history of everything. It's a story you'll hear-in its monumental entirety-in Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity.

Taught by historian David Christian, Big History offers a unique opportunity to view human history in the context of the many histories that surround it. Over the course of 48 thought-provoking lectures, he'll serve as your guide as you traverse the sweeping expanse of cosmic history-13.7 billion years of it-starting with the big bang and traveling through time and space to the present moment.