Starting at the unimaginably hot, dense speck from which the universe originated, this text takes the reader on a journey in time, spanning the history of the Earth. The book travels through the enormity of time to the formation of the solar system and on to explore the Earth's past in detail. It describes the development of land, sea, atmosphere, climate and the origins of life, and features major events and landmarks in the Earth's turbulent development. Covering the process of early life on Earth, to the evolution of modern humans, until it reaches the planet at the end of the 20th century, supporting at least ten million living species