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Introduction

In 1900, you were more likely to look to religion than to science for an explanation of how the world worked. Despite great changes in the previous 100 years, there was no radio, television or internet; no antibiotics, plastics, space travel, atom bombs. It took seven days to cross the Atlantic by sea. If you were a woman, your chances of dying in childbirth were high. Your family's comfort depended on burning wood and coal.

In 2000, most natural phenomena were explained by science – although most of it was so complicated that you couldn't understand it. You could travel by mountain bike, motorcycle, car, train, jet or even helicopter. Not so long ago, men had walked on the moon, and two atom bombs had been dropped on heavily populated cities. Now, it only took four hours to cross the Atlantic by air. If you were a woman, your lifespan had increased even more than that of men. Medicine, from pain-killers to artificial hips, had improved your life. Your comfort depended on electricity, oil and gas.

The 20th century witnessed an enormous explosion of knowledge in the sciences, as well as a massive increase in humanity's ability to make things that were both useful and dangerous.

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