1 TIMELINE OF HISTORY

WHY THE WORLD ISN'T FAIR

To all beings—those gone, those living, and those still to come. Our ancestors made the world what it is. We can decide what the world will become.

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UNSTOPPABLE US VOLUME 2 A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR In the first volume of Unstoppable Us, we followed the adventures of humans from the time we were insignificant apes in the African savannah, terrified of cheetahs and hyenas, until humans became the most powerful animals on the planet, hunting down even the biggest bears and mammoths. In the second volume we explore how humans learned to control animals like dogs, chickens, and cows— and how some people also learned to control other people. Why did some humans get to be kings and queens while others had to clean their palaces and do their laundry for them? What are kings and palaces even for? Human history is vast and fascinating. And that's why for thousands of years people have been trying to understand where we came from. We can learn about the lives of ancient people by studying what those people left behind—the ruins of ancient palaces, a broken pot, a bone of a long-dead skeleton, and even the notebooks of schoolchildren who lived long ago. This book covers some events for which we have a lot of evidence—yes, even ancient notebooks! It also covers events for which we have little evidence. Scientists fill in the gaps using educated guesses. There are many things we don't know, and there are many things about which scientists disagree. This book is based on the latest findings, but our knowledge of the past is constantly evolving as we discover the remains of another ancient palace or another long-dead skeleton. To present the latest scientific discoveries in a simple and fun way, this book sometimes uses fictional conversations between fictional characters. Obviously, these conversations never happened.

But the events they describe really took place, and these events have shaped the world in which we still live today.

IT'S NOT FAIR! "It's not fair!" How many times have you heard that? Or said it yourself? Probably a lot. Some people are incredibly rich. They live in mansions with swimming pools, fly around in private jets, and never wash any dishes or clean their room—because paid help does it for them. Other people are very poor. They live in huts without toilets, wait in the rain for the bus to come, and wash somebody else's dirty dishes. Some people are extremely powerful. They make the rules, give lots of big speeches, and tell everyone what to do. Other people are far less powerful. They have to follow the rules, clap when the leader speaks, and do as they're told. Is that fair? Kids are often asked, "What would you like to be when you grow up?" But in many countries all over the world, kids don't get to choose. You might want to be president, but if you're born to a poor family, the closest you are likely to get to the president's palace is if you are told to sweep the street in front of the gate. Was it always like this? Were humans always divided into rich and poor, masters and servants? Some people say that this is just the natural order of the world. Everywhere you look, the strong always rule, and the weak must obey. Movies and video games about the past are also full of kings and queens living in huge castles, ruling vast kingdoms, and giving orders to millions of others. But in fact, originally there were no kings or kingdoms, certainly not ones with millions of inhabitants. Until about 10,000 years ago, humans lived in small bands and tribes, numbering a few thousand individuals at most. Back then, there was often someone around who wanted to become chief and tell everybody what to do. But even the biggest chief didn't have much power. There just weren't enough people yet