Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Little Brown & Co (1987), 355 pages
Description
The Day the Universe Changed presents a sweeping view of the history of science, technology, and human civilization and examines the moments in history when a change in knowledge radically altered man's understanding of himself and the world around him. James Burke examines eight periods in history when our view of the world shifted dramatically: In the eleventh century, when extraordinary discoveries were made by Spanish crusaders. In fourteenth-century Florence, where perspective in painting emerged. In the fifteenth century, when the advent of the printing press shook the foundations of an oral society. In the sixteenth century, when gunnery developments triggered the birth of modern science. In the early eighteenth century, when hot English summers brought on the Industrial Revolution. In the battlefield surgery stations of the French revolutionary armies, where people first became statistics. In the nineteenth century, when the discovery of dinosaur fossils led to the theory of evolution. In the 1820s, when electrical experiments heralded the end of scientific certainty. Based on the popular television documentary series, The Day the Universe Changed is a bestselling history that challenges the reader to decide whether there is absolute knowledge to discover-or whether the universe is "ultimately what we say it is."… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member julsitos2
Like his Connections series, his thoughts on history being a series of interconnecting ideas are highly respected and easily grasped.
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
This is the sort of book that you do not forget. The images are so memorable, the stories so captivating. It is fascinating to follow the steps of idea detector James Burke as he leads you through the years and back to the day that an idea changed the way we look at the universe. The world is no
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longer flat. Show Less
LibraryThing member mwirkk
One of my favorites series ever! (Right up there with "The Mechanical Universe".) This is the one that made me a James Burke fan, and set me to a whole new way of thinking about history. I recommend both reading the book *and* watching the TV series (hard to find - J.B. does not own the rights, so
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he cannot make it readily available as he would like to, but you can probably find it here and there on YouTube). An audio abridgment is available on cassette and CD. Each type of media has slightly different content, and augment one another. The 10-part TV series (The Day the Universe Changed: a Personal View by James Burke) was originally released in 1985, and a revised edition again in '95. Show Less
LibraryThing member mivox
Excellent companion to to oh-so-long-ago PBS series.
LibraryThing member Gord.Barker
If you are not necessarily a fan of history or technology or sociology and you find reading any or all of those types of books hard then read this book.
James Burke has an amazing writing and presenting style (from the associated BBC series of the same name) that finds a seemingly innocuous
James Burke has an amazing writing and presenting style (from the associated BBC series of the same name) that finds a seemingly innocuous
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invention and links it into revolutionary changes in how civilization works. For the trivia minded, there are lots of little jems like "where does the phrase 'being in the lime-lite' come from". Show Less
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
I usually find this sort of book highly interesting, sadly though that was not the case here. I remember the PBS series as coming up somewhat short of Burke's earlier Connections series as well. If you want to read about the history of science I highly recommend A Short History of Nearly Everything
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by Bill Bryson, it's more interesting and more readable. Show Less
LibraryThing member DirtPriest
This book is much more detailed than Connections. I recall not really caring that much for the series on PBS but the book is better. Connections is a superior TV series, The Day the Universe Changed is a superior book. It doesn't jump around to wildly separate areas and stories the way Connections
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did, which is why the show was good. After a segment on the development of vacuum pumps in an old lab in England, Mr Burke would say, 'And it culminates here...", dramatic pause, and then he would pop up in some sub-tropical forest like in a Monty Python sketch and continue, "In Florida, where a doctor invented the modern air conditioner." Great TV, ok in book form. The DtUC is much less jumpy and follows the developments of several major scientific discoveries that totally altered the world. Like electromagnetism or moveable type printing or Darwinism. Quite an informative book with decent coverage of several layers of developments in the history of science, I really enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member bfgar
When James Burke's new series started on PBS, I had been back in school for a while. My first semester back, I took a course called the "History of Science to 1600," purely on speculation. I had always loved both science and history, and I had become an avowed medievalist during my long absence
Suddenly, here on my television was the Connections man, James Burke himself, talking about my newest love. Oh, he didn't call it "history of science," because if he had he would have never gotten more than a handful of people to watch. But he was talking about things I'd learned about in my classes.
This would have been a fascinating program even if I hadn't studied the subject. Burke always had a way of taking the complex and dumbing it down just enough to let everyone feel brilliant when they comprehended what he was talking about. At the same time, he kept his topics well-enough written that those of us who knew something about it interesting.
The Day the Universe Changed has a one-word central theme: "Epistemology," the study of how we know what we know. It isn't so much about the hows and whys of our knowledge as it is what we did about it before, during and after we figured it out. This is exciting stuff, at least it can be. When we understand how we learn, it's easier not only to apply both what we've learned but also how to build on it to learn more. [I know, I've just gotten kind of confusing, haven't I?]
In any case, if you can find a copy of either this book or the series itself, I think it's worth revisiting. You might find out that learning, in and of itself, is rewarding and fascinating work. And, then, you might go on to discoveries much great than you ever thought existed.
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from the halls of academe, so ... sure! It sounds interesting. Suddenly, here on my television was the Connections man, James Burke himself, talking about my newest love. Oh, he didn't call it "history of science," because if he had he would have never gotten more than a handful of people to watch. But he was talking about things I'd learned about in my classes.
This would have been a fascinating program even if I hadn't studied the subject. Burke always had a way of taking the complex and dumbing it down just enough to let everyone feel brilliant when they comprehended what he was talking about. At the same time, he kept his topics well-enough written that those of us who knew something about it interesting.
The Day the Universe Changed has a one-word central theme: "Epistemology," the study of how we know what we know. It isn't so much about the hows and whys of our knowledge as it is what we did about it before, during and after we figured it out. This is exciting stuff, at least it can be. When we understand how we learn, it's easier not only to apply both what we've learned but also how to build on it to learn more. [I know, I've just gotten kind of confusing, haven't I?]
In any case, if you can find a copy of either this book or the series itself, I think it's worth revisiting. You might find out that learning, in and of itself, is rewarding and fascinating work. And, then, you might go on to discoveries much great than you ever thought existed.
Show Less
LibraryThing member themulhern
Seemed really lightweight on audio, I'm going to give it a shot in physical form and see if it improves.
LibraryThing member a1stitcher
At times it's a bit difficult to follow, with all the names tossed around within the pages. That didn't prevent me from enjoying it. A clever dip into science that changed history-and vice versa.
LibraryThing member librisissimo
The content and format are duplicated from the TV series, but I don't know if the text is a direct transcript. Illustrations are probably from the show.
For each of ten pivotal changes in scientific or social thought, Burke gives the background laeding up to the change, and explains how it happened
New discoveries and interpretations have made some of his commentary obsolete or in need of revision, but most of the history and science is still correct (AFAIK anyway).
Very accessible to advanced middle-school or high-school readers.
For each of ten pivotal changes in scientific or social thought, Burke gives the background laeding up to the change, and explains how it happened
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and why it was important.New discoveries and interpretations have made some of his commentary obsolete or in need of revision, but most of the history and science is still correct (AFAIK anyway).
Very accessible to advanced middle-school or high-school readers.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1985
Physical description
355 p.; 10 inches
ISBN
9780316117067
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