A Briefer History of Time (Schulman book)
Encyclopedia
A Briefer History of Time is a science humor
book
by the American
astronomer
Eric Schulman
. In this book, Schulman presents humorous summaries of what he claims are the fifty-three most important events since the beginning of time.
The title and cover are a parody of Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time
. Coincidentally, Hawking would later write a "sequel" entitled A Briefer History of Time
. Hawking's publisher Bantam Books was aware the title had already been used in a popular science book, but went ahead since "The other book was published six years ago, and Professor Hawking is an international figure."
Laughing while learning is the intent of Schulman's book. The book shows why, even though the Universe is expanding, it doesn't get any easier to find a parking space. Furthermore, there is the pulp version of the origin of life ("It was a dark and stormy night. In the shallow tide pool, a nucleic acid base collided with a sugar molecule. An amino acid sank beneath the murky depths . . . ."). Some more of the fifty-three most important events are:
Parody science
Parody science, sometimes called spoof science, is the act of mocking science in a satirical way. Science can be parodied for a purpose, ranging from social commentary and making political points, to humor for its own sake....
book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Eric Schulman
Eric Schulman
Eric Schulman is an American astronomer and science humorist. Schulman received his bachelor's degree from UCLA and his PhD from the University of Michigan. He is the author of A Briefer History of Time: From the Big Bang to the Big Mac and has been a member of the editorial board of the Annals of...
. In this book, Schulman presents humorous summaries of what he claims are the fifty-three most important events since the beginning of time.
The title and cover are a parody of Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time
A Brief History of Time
A Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
. Coincidentally, Hawking would later write a "sequel" entitled A Briefer History of Time
A Briefer History of Time (Hawking and Mlodinow book)
A Briefer History of Time is a popular-science book published in 2005 from the English physicist Stephen Hawking and the American physicist Leonard Mlodinow. It is an update and rewrite of Hawking's 1988 A Brief History of Time...
. Hawking's publisher Bantam Books was aware the title had already been used in a popular science book, but went ahead since "The other book was published six years ago, and Professor Hawking is an international figure."
Laughing while learning is the intent of Schulman's book. The book shows why, even though the Universe is expanding, it doesn't get any easier to find a parking space. Furthermore, there is the pulp version of the origin of life ("It was a dark and stormy night. In the shallow tide pool, a nucleic acid base collided with a sugar molecule. An amino acid sank beneath the murky depths . . . ."). Some more of the fifty-three most important events are:
- A Shakespearean account of the production of helium soon after the Big Bang,
- Assembly instructions for terrestrial proteins (including consumer safety warnings),
- A prospectus for potential investors in the Mammalia Class of animals,
- A dragnet-style investigation into the rise and fall of the Earth's first empire, and
- A ballad about the creation of the world-wide web.
Contents
- Quantum Fluctuation
- Inflation
- Expansion
- Particle-Antiparticle Annihilation
- Deuterium and Helium Production
- Recombination
- Galaxy Formation
- Turbulent Fragmentation
- Massive Star Formation
- Stellar Evolution
- Iron Production
- Supernova Explosion
- Star Formation
- Planetary Differentiation
- Volatile Gas Expulsion
- Molecular Reproduction
- Protein Construction
- Fermentation
- Cell Differentiation
- Respiration
- Multicellular Organisms
- Sexual Reproduction
- Evolutionary Diversification
- Trilobite Domination
- Land Exploration
- Comet Collision
- Dinosaur Extinction
- Mammal Expansion
- Homo sapiens Manifestation
- Language Acquisition
- Glaciation
- Innovation
- Religion
- Animal Domestication
- Food Surplus Production
- Inscription
- Warring Nations
- Empire Creation and Destruction
- Civilization
- Constitution
- Industrialization
- World Conflagrations
- Fission Explosions
- Computerization
- Space Exploration
- Population Explosion
- Superpower Confrontation
- Internet Expansion
- Resignation
- Reunification
- World Wide Web Creation
- Composition
- Extrapolation