Ttc Living History

In the period 1700-1900, kings and empires rose and fell, but science conquered all, taking the world by storm. Yet, as the 1700s began, the mysteries of the universe were pondered by "natural philosophers"—the term "scientist" didn't even exist until the mid 19th century—whose explanations couldn't help but be influenced by the religious thought and political and social contexts that shaped their world.

This is the story of a country in which immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries huddled in cramped tenement apartments lit by hazardous kerosene lamps. And a country that, little more than a half-century later, renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith described as "The Affluent Society."

Enormous mountain ranges and breathtaking gorges. Wild sea shores and lazy rivers. Ghost towns and battlefields. Pristine lakes and coral reefs. Not to mention nearly 25,000 campsites, 52,000 miles of hiking trails, over 300 marinas, and hundreds of pools and ski slopes and golf courses. Encompassing more than 18 million acres of land, America's state parks feature a variety of adventures that is nothing short of astounding.

Confucius. Buddha. Jesus. Muhammad. Four extraordinary sages who influenced world civilization more deeply than any other human beings in history. As just one measure of their importance, current rankings of the most influential people in history consistently put them at or near the top of the list. Four centuries after the rise of the scientific worldview, their influence in human affairs continues to be fundamental, underscoring issues ranging from questions of ethics and justice to religious and political conflicts to other issues that dominate today's headlines.