The editors of Life Magazine selected some of the 100 most important events discoveries and moments of the past 1,000 years and depicted them in order starting from 100 and working through to their number one choice. Each selection is accompanied by narration explaining its importance and influence, and photos. The items range from the invention of plastic to India’s Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution to the discovery of the laws of heredity.

It’s so interesting to see the events ranked, both in terms of the selections themselves and the order in which they are valued by these editors. The top ten, counting backwards, include the invention of the nautical compass, Hitler coming to power, the American Declaration of Independence, invention of gunpowder weapons, discovery of germ theory, Galileo’s telescope, the Industrial Revolution, Martin Luther’s “Ninety-Five Theses,” Columbus’s voyage, and number one: “Gutenberg Prints the Bible.”

I love history, but I love pictorial histories even more. This book ought to please both types of audiences. And what can be more fun and generate more discussion than lists and rankings? ( )

EXCELLENT SEQUENTIL LOOK AT THE LAST CENTURY IN PEOPLE AND EVENTS ( )