A short history by Bill Bryson tries to explain all the history of science.How we understand things today and how that understanding was reached.Who were the people who hit upon those insights which would lead to the understanding that we have today of the world ,the universe and of ourselves.

It deals with astronomy.It includes the solar system ,the big bang and how the elements came to be forged.There are the leaps in physics by Newton ,by Einstein and by Bohr and Rutherford.How the elements came to be discovered and how businessmen made huge profits from them while the discoverers faded into oblivion.

There are chapters on biology, on how Charles Darwin compiled his theory of evolution despite many obstacles including his own ill health.Mention is also made of ancient fossil discoveries and how it helped us understand human evolution.

There is a chapter on lead toxicity and the companies which profited from it.How the scientist tried to create awareness of lead poisoning but was thwarted by corporations until he finally succeeded.

The tales of the calculation of the size of the earth, the weight of the earth and the age of the earth find mention.The process of how those and other conclusions were reached is also given giving an insight into the minds of scientists,their relations with other scientists and the politics involved because discoverers  not only dealt with science problems.They also dealt with the greed and jealosies of their fellow scientists who were ready to trip them or take credit for their work.

It is a dream book for anyone wanting to understand general science and looking for some entertainment(the book is also rich with humor!).

Great attention is given not to the science itself but to the scientific personalities from Newtons eccentricities,Einsteins marriage and Curies affairs are mentioned!