
Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
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Narrated by:
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Nish Kumar
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By:
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Tom Phillips
About this listen
Modern humans have come a long way in the 70,000 years they’ve walked the earth. Art, science, culture, trade - on the evolutionary food chain, we’re true winners. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, and sometimes - just occasionally - we’ve managed to truly f--k things up.
Weaving together history, science, politics, and pop culture, Humans offers a panoramic exploration of humankind in all its glory, or lack thereof. From Lucy, our first ancestor, who fell out of a tree and died, to General Zhou Shou of China, who stored gunpowder in his palace before a lantern festival, to the Austrian army attacking itself one drunken night, to the most spectacular fails of the present day, Humans reveals how even the most mundane mistakes can shift the course of civilization as we know it.
Lively, wry, and brimming with brilliant insight, this unique compendium offers a fresh take on world history and is one of the most entertaining listens of the year.
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In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories—starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a world power. But in The Wrong Stuff, John Strausbaugh tells a different story.
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Limited storyline repeated over and over as the book slowly winds along.
- By Dr. Michael B on 05-04-25
By: John Strausbaugh
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The Hidden History of the White House
- Power Struggles, Scandals, and Defining Moments
- By: Corey Mead
- Narrated by: Lindsay Graham, Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than two centuries, the White House in Washington, DC, has been the stage for some of the most climactic moments in American history. Its walls and portraits have witnessed fierce power struggles, history-altering decisions, shocking scandals, and intimate moments among the First Family, their guests, and the staff.
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Not worth reading
- By Nancy on 02-06-25
By: Corey Mead
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Lay Them to Rest
- On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless
- By: Laurah Norton
- Narrated by: Laurah Norton
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Fans of true crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order know that when it comes to “getting the bad guy” behind bars, your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence—and the forensic science used to obtain it. Beyond the silver screen, forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases.
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Enjoyable author, but not my style
- By Anonymous User on 11-21-23
By: Laurah Norton
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Jules Verne Collection
- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days and The Mysterious Island
- By: Jules Verne
- Narrated by: Jim D. Johnston
- Length: 43 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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From the pen of one of the literary world’s finest explorers of the imagination, these classic tales of fantastical habitats and intrepid adventurers delve deep into every mysterious corner of planet Earth. Whether you’ve adventured with Verne before or are only just setting off on your maiden voyage, this collection encompasses the most extraordinary adventures the father of science fiction has to offer.
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Classics, But Hours of Scientific Exposition.
- By Sarah on 05-02-21
By: Jules Verne
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A Day's Read
- By: The Great Courses, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth, and others
- Narrated by: Arnold Weinstein, Emily Allen, Grant L. Voth
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Join three literary scholars and award-winning professors as they introduce you to dozens of short masterpieces that you can finish - and engage with - in a day or less. Perfect for people with busy lives who still want to discover-or rediscover-just how transformative an act of reading can be, these 36 lectures range from short stories of fewer than 10 pages to novellas and novels of around 200 pages. Despite their short length, these works are powerful examinations of the same subjects and themes that longer "great books" discuss.
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Stories not included, only discussed
- By Julie Newman on 01-15-16
By: The Great Courses, and others
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Conspiracy
- A History of Boll*cks Theories, and How Not to Fall for Them
- By: Tom Phillips, Jonn Elledge
- Narrated by: Jonn Elledge, Tom Phillips
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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From the Satanic Panic to the anti-vaxx movement, it's always been human nature to believe we're being lied to by the powers that be (and sometimes, to be fair, we absolutely are). But while it can be fun to indulge in a bit of Deep State banter on the family Whatsapp group, recent times have shown us that some of these theories have taken on a life of their own—and in our dogged quest for the truth, it appears we might actually be doing it some damage.
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USING MSM FOR SOURCES IS NOT WISE.
- By Jack D on 02-11-23
By: Tom Phillips, and others
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The Book of General Ignorance
- By: John Mitchinson, John Lloyd
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
- Abridged
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Misconceptions, misunderstandings, and flawed facts finally get the heave-ho in this humorous, downright humiliating book of reeducation based on the phenomenal British best seller. Challenging what most of us assume to be verifiable truths in areas like history, literature, science, nature, and more, The Book of General Ignorance is a witty “gotcha” compendium of how little we actually know about anything. It’ll have you scratching your head wondering why we even bother to go to school.
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Interesting.
- By A. Hawkbird on 12-07-08
By: John Mitchinson, and others
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Little Weirds
- By: Jenny Slate
- Narrated by: Jenny Slate
- Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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You may "know" Jenny Slate from her Netflix special, Stage Fright, as the creator of Marcel the Shell, or as the star of Obvious Child. But you don't really know Jenny Slate until you get bonked on the head by her absolutely singular writing style. To see the world through Jenny's eyes is to see it as though for the first time, shimmering with strangeness and possibility.
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softness is earned and it is wonderful
- By Van on 12-09-19
By: Jenny Slate
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Where Tyranny Begins
- The Justice Department, the FBI, and the War on Democracy
- By: David Rohde
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In Where Tyranny Begins, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde investigates the strategies Trump systematically used to turn the country's two most powerful law-enforcement agencies into his personal political weapons. Rohde also reveals how, during the Biden years, Justice Department non-partisan 1970s norms that Attorney General Merrick Garland reinforced inadvertently helped Trump, and could fail to deliver a trial and legal accountability by Election Day 2024.
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Review of why we fired trump
- By ludlow on 09-24-24
By: David Rohde
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How to Survive History
- How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes
- By: Cody Cassidy
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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History is the most dangerous place on earth. From dinosaurs the size of locomotives to meteors big enough to sterilize the planet, from famines to pandemics, from tornadoes to the Chicxulub asteroid, the odds of human survival are slim but not zero—at least, not if you know where to go and what to do. In each chapter of How to Survive History, Cody Cassidy explores how to survive one of history’s greatest threats: getting eaten by dinosaurs, being destroyed by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, succumbing to the lava flows of Pompeii, being devoured by the Donner Party, and more.
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A fun, light romp
- By Ron on 03-11-24
By: Cody Cassidy
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AI Snake Oil
- What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference
- By: Sayash Kapoor, Arvind Narayanan
- Narrated by: Landon Woodson
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Confused about AI and worried about what it means for your future and the future of the world? You’re not alone. AI is everywhere—and few things are surrounded by so much hype, misinformation, and misunderstanding. In AI Snake Oil, computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion to give you an essential understanding of how AI works, why it often doesn’t, where it might be useful or harmful, and when you should suspect that companies are using AI hype to sell AI snake oil—products that don’t work, and probably never will.
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Basic level information nothing new here
- By Al on 10-09-24
By: Sayash Kapoor, and others
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And Then You're Dead
- What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling over Niagara
- By: Cody Cassidy, Paul Doherty
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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A gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine. What would happen if you took a swim outside a deep-sea submarine wearing only a swimsuit? How long could you last if you stood on the surface of the sun? How far could you actually get in digging a hole to China? Paul Doherty, senior staff scientist at San Francisco's famed Exploratorium Museum, and writer Cody Cassidy explore the real science behind these and other fantastical scenarios.
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perfect for a precocious 9 year old boy
- By Kerith Strano Taylor on 05-15-17
By: Cody Cassidy, and others
What listeners say about Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
Highly rated for:
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- Zak Clayton
- 06-06-19
loved it! Well put together.
Although not a fan of profanity in print, this book was put together, written, and performed so well I honestly loved the flow. Great book. I will listen to it again, and again.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Olivia
- 08-17-19
Haha, how have we not gone extinct yet?
A really funny look at the very serious ways that humans have been fucking up throughout all of history. Definitely worth checking out, as those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it again and again and again and again. As humans tend to to.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jay
- 10-25-23
Very amusing book!
This book was very amusing while making you think about the long term impacts of the choices that are made leaders and every day people.
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- Daniel Vera
- 01-14-20
Funny AF...
Great reminders of our ability to fuck up big time..
easy to listen I really enjoyed it
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- W. E. Cobble
- 05-19-19
Simultaneously Hilarious and Cringe-Inducing
This book is the perfect accompaniment to Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
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2 people found this helpful
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- H2O_Doc
- 03-03-20
Good
A good and fun read. Worth the time. Interesting bits of history well told and funny.
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- Matthew L. Daniel
- 12-29-24
a fun listen but mostly empty
I really enjoyed the comedy, and the narrator had an excellent presentation style, but the overall experience was just like a few vignettes strung together. I didn't feel like it was a good use of my listening time
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- Anonymous User
- 05-20-19
Truth in Spades
Wow! Slapped in the face, and yet I still hope for the human race. God help us. 🌿
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- Mom
- 01-19-23
WE’RE DOOMED!!
Blunt, insightful and hilarious!! The debate rages on, will it be mankind’s ignorance or greed that will cause our own extinction??
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- D62917
- 04-03-25
Humans at it
Book is pretty interesting in highlighting errors of the human race and the monumental impacts that occurred after. Most of the time it’s humans thinking they know nature better than nature does. It also highlights the monumental political and societal errors made that had catastrophic effects. This would be a good book to teach to kids to really think problems through and highlight all the follow on impacts of decision making.
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1 person found this helpful