An expansive single-volume reference combining the features of a chronology, encyclopaedia, and almanac. This ambitious new work covers not just trivia but essentials, not just the familiar but also the little-known, not just the local but the global. ""It is not a record of any one country's 20th century, but of every country's, and of the great worldwide events and trends that affected them all,"" promises the introduction. Chapter One: Chronology of the Century A timeline from 1900 to 1999, highlighting the most important milestones in every area of human activity around the world, from culture to politics to science to sports. Chapter Two: Events and Ideas of the Century A listing of more than 300 selected events, movements, trends, and concepts that defined the century. Chapter Three: People of the Century Concise biographies of 900 of the most important people of their times, including artists, philosophers, generals, and presidents. Chapter Four: Nations of the World A brief 20th-century history of every nation on earth, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, along with a chronology of leaders and other information. The main text is supplemented with charts, such as a list of all Nobel Prize Winners and battle and casualty tables for World Wars I and II. Cross-references also aid researchers. Two indexes complete the book: a traditional subject index and a year index.