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AD (2) 13th century - modern day 13th century In 1206, Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, assembled an army of horsemen, and embarked on a series of ambitious expeditions that resulted in the creation of a vast Mongol domain. In 1271 Genghis Khan's grandson Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty and annihilated the Southern Song to control China. Kublai Khan also launched two attacks on Kamakura period Japan, both however thwarted by typhoons. The founding of a giant Mongol Empire promised secure trade between East and West, and technology and culture also flowed freely in both directions, as described in the journals of the famous Venetian merchant Marco Polo who spent several years serving at Kublai Khan's court. 15th century In Europe the Renaissance was in full swing, producing a roll call of famous artists including Da Vinci and Michelangelo. In the 14th century France and England had plunged into the Hundred Years War, with the arrival on the scene of the youthful Joan of Arc turning the tides of battle in favor of the French. Also in Europe, this period saw the beginning of the Age of Exploration, as human aspiration gradually brought the world closer together (for more on the Age of Exploration, see Earthrium 7). In China, the decline of the Yuan was accompanied by an explosion of discontent among the subjugated Han Chinese. In 1368 Zhu Yuanzhang led the Red Turban army in revolt against the Yuan, founding what was to become the immensely powerful Ming Dynasty. In the Islamic world, the Ottomans came to wield great influence, eventually toppling the Byzantine Empire and bringing the Mediterranean coast under their control. In Russia, in 1480 Ivan III of the Grand Duchy of Muscovy took the title of emperor (Tsar), and the first steps toward formation of the Russian Empire. 17th century In Europe this was a time of intensifying power struggles, and endless domestic conflicts and wars. In France it was the era of Louis XIV, the Sun King, who possessed an enormous army and built the palace at Versailles. Meanwhile the English and Dutch each established an East India Company, and commenced direct trade with Asia. Developments in the navigational arts gave full rein to their untrammeled ambitions, leading to the colonization of lands already occupied by indigenous inhabitants, and an expansion in trade. In Latin America, the kingdom of the Mayans, which had flourished for centuries, and the Incan and Aztec empires that had reached their zenith around the 15th century, were annihilated by the Spanish and disappeared from history. 19th century Starting in the 18th and continuing well into the 19th century the world was dominated by Great Britain (the British Empire), with its vast colonial possessions, accounting at their peak for a quarter of the Earth's land mass. The Industrial Revolution wrought by the invention of the steam engine propelled the process of industrialization, bringing railways to all corners of the globe that would revolutionize interaction between people, and setting the stage for the dominance of cities over the rural sector. During this period, in the name of imperialism the Western powers spilt considerable blood acquiring colonies in the quest for markets and sources of raw materials, and carved up the world between them. By the late 19th century, the United States, which had won its independence from Britain a century before, had grown to become the world's largest industrial nation. Present day The 20th century could be termed the century of war, with the outbreak of two consecutive global conflicts employing modern weaponry, the First and Second World Wars, claiming an incalculable number of victims. With the founding of the United Nations after WWII, it seemed that world peace might finally be achieved, but ultimately the world split into the Cold War dichotomy of East and West, centered on the two mighty military powers of the United States and Soviet Union. The period since the end of the Cold War in the 1990s has been marked by a succession of civil wars and domestic disturbances, and with the 9/11 attacks of 2001, the world was once again plunged into chaos. Global environmental problems attributed to soaring population growth and rapid industrialization have exacerbated poverty in developing nations, with conflicts over resources now breaking out at frequent intervals. The globalization of economies and culture is gathering pace, and this plus the breakneck modernization of nations such as India and China means we are living in a time of enormous change. So how did you find our journey, albeit somewhat rushed, through just over 2000 years of human history, the last seconds of the history of our planet? Watching the political map of the world change this rapidly on our small globe, it appears that human history could be summed up as an endless series of power struggles. However this process has also nurtured our planet's great diversity of cultures, and generated new values as we have interacted with each other over the millennia. With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, our world is entering yet another new phase. Here on this small planet we call home, what will happen to humanity, and how should we as humans proceed into the future? What do you think?

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