Unit 1 2016

UNIT 1WHAT IS BIG HISTORY?
This Word document contains ALL of the readings from the unit. All readings include multiple
copies at different Lexile levels. You are free to repurpose these materials as needed for
your classroom. Please do remember to properly cite Big History as the source. If you
modify the text, it will change the lexile level. As always, only print what you need.
The Big History science extension aims to increase the depth of STEM and general
science content in the course. These activities, videos, and articles are marked with
a beaker icon.
ORIGIN STORIES.................................................................................2
AN INTRODUCTION TO ORIGIN STORIES......................................................................2
THE MODERN SCIENTIFIC ORIGIN STORY....................................................................4
PAN GU: THE CHINESE ORIGIN STORY.........................................................................9
GENESIS: THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ORIGIN STORY.....................................................11
THE GREAT TURTLE: IROQUOIS ORIGIN STORY........................................................16
THE POPOL VUH: MAYAN ORIGIN STORY....................................................................18
THE TITANS AND THE GODS OF OLYMPUS: GREEK ORIGIN STORY........................20
ZULU: UNKULUNKULU, THE GREAT ONE.....................................................................24
EFIK: ABASSI, GOD OF THE UNIVERSE........................................................................29
COSMOLOGY AND FAITH....................................................................35
COMPLEXITY AND THRESHOLDS........................................................45
HOW DID WE FIND THE DISTANCE TO THE SUN?.................................53
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UNIT 1WHAT IS BIG HISTORY? TEXT READER
Origin Stories
An Introduction to Origin Stories
All humans yearn to know where we came from and how our world began. We may have
different stories, but they all serve a similar purpose.
An Introduction to Origin Stories (1050L)

By Cynthia Stokes Brown
Everywhere around the world people tell stories about how the Universe began and how
humans came into being. Scholars, namely anthropologists and ethnologists, call these tales
creation myths or origin stories. In comic-book lingo there is a specialized meaning for
origin stories. They are accounts that relate how superheroes got their superpowers.
Some origin stories are based on real people and events, while others are based on more
imaginative accounts. Origin stories can contain powerful, emotional symbols that convey
profound truths, but not necessarily in a literal sense. In the United States, many people tell
stories about Santa Claus. But everyone, except young children, knows that he is a symbol
of love and generosity, not a person who actually exists. Many cultures tell stories that seem
strange to outsiders but have deep meaning to group members.
When people in a culture become literate, they write down their origin stories. But the stories
frequently go back way before written records, to when people told them aloud. This is called
an oral tradition. Multiple versions of each story often exist, since people from group to
group and generation to generation may change them slightly as they retell them. I have
chosen to summarize, in writing, five origin stories from a wide number of places and eras
feel free to tell them aloud to each other.
The sixth story I have written myself. It is a short version of Big History, told as a modern
origin story. This one is based on scientific evidence and comes from the human community
throughout planet Earth.

By Cynthia Stokes Brown, adapted by Newsela
Everywhere around the world people tell stories about how the Universe began and how
humans came into being. Anthropologists, who study humans past and present call
these tales creation myths or origin stories. In comic books there is a special meaning for
origin stories. They are the original story that tells what made superheroes who they are
and how they got their superpowers.
Human origin stories tell where a particular culture came from. Some origin stories are
based on real people and events. Others, however, are based on more imaginative
accounts. Origin stories can contain powerful, emotional symbols. They can feature heroes
and gods with great powers. They may tell deep truths, but not be stories based on fact.
In the United States, people tell stories about Santa Claus. But everyone, except young
children, knows that he doesn't actually exist. What he represents is a symbol of love and
generosity. Many cultures tell stories that seem strange to outsiders. However, to members
of a culture they may have a deep meaning. They help explain where that culture came from
and how it fits into the Universe.
When people in a culture learn to read, they write down their origin stories. But the stories
frequently go back way before written records. Before a group of people could write, they
told stories to each other and handed them down verbally to others. This is called an oral
tradition. Multiple versions of each story often exist, since people may change them slightly
as they retell them. From group to group and generation to generation stories change. I
have chosen to summarize five origin stories. They come from a wide number of places and
eras. Feel free to tell them aloud to each other.
origin story. This one is based on scientific evidence and gathered by humans throughout
planet Earth.

Everywhere around the world people tell stories about how the world began. Different
cultures tell different stories about how the Universe started and where humans came from.
Scholars call these tales creation myths or origin stories.
Some origin stories are based on real people and events. Others, however, use a bit more
imagination. Origin stories can contain powerful, emotional symbols. They can feature
heroes and gods with great powers. They may tell deep truths about how humans relate to
nature. But, they are not always based on facts.
In the United States, people grow up with stories about Santa Claus. Everyone, except
young children, knows that he is not a real person. What he represents is a symbol. He's
generous and spreads love. Many cultures tell stories that seem strange to outsiders. Yet, to
members of that culture they may have a deep meaning. They help explain where that
culture came from and how it fits into the Universe.
When people in a culture learn to read, they write down their origin stories. But the stories
frequently go back way before written records. Before a group of people could write they told
stories to each other. Then they handed them down verbally to others. This is called an oral
tradition. Multiple versions of each story often exist. As people retell them they may change
them slightly. From group to group, and generation to generation, stories change. I have
chosen to summarize five origin stories. They come from a wide number of places and eras.
Feel free to tell them aloud to each other.
origin story. This one is based on scientific evidence, not oral tradition. It comes from
knowledge gathered by humans on Earth.
The Modern Scientific Origin Story

From vast nothingness to a Universe of stars and galaxies and our own Earth.
Big Bang: The Modern Scientific Origin Story (1070L)

This version of modern sciences origin story is condensed and interpreted from a great
body of historical and scientific information.
In the beginning, as far as we know, there was nothing. Suddenly, from a single point, all the
energy in the Universe burst forth. Since that moment 13.8 billion years ago, the Universe
has been expanding and cooling down as it gets bigger.
Gradually energy cooled enough to become matter. One electron could stay in orbit around
one proton to become an atom of hydrogen. Great clouds of hydrogen swirled around space
until gravity pulled some atoms so close together that they began to burn as stars. Stars
swirled together in giant clusters called galaxies; now there are galaxies numbering in the
billions.
After each star burned up all its matter, it died in a huge explosion. The explosion generated
so much heat that some atoms fused and got more and more complex, forming many
different elements, including gold and silver.
One giant star, our mother star, exploded and scattered clouds of gas containing all the
elements needed to form living beings. About 5 billion years ago gravity pulled these atoms
into a new star, creating the Sun. The leftover pieces of matter stuck to each other and
formed eight planets, which revolve around the sun.
The third planet out, Earth, became our home. It was the perfect size not too big, not too
small and the perfect distance from the Sun, not too far or too close. A thin crust formed
over Earths hot interior, and the temperature was just right for water to form on parts of the
surface. Gradually the chemicals in the water formed inside of membranes and got more
complex until single-cell living organisms appeared, able to maintain themselves and
reproduce.
For 3 billion years these one-celled creatures reproduced almost exactly, but not quite. They
gradually changed in response to their environment.
Life becomes more complex

But they also changed their environment. They learned to burn energy from the Sun, and
they released oxygen into the atmosphere. The oxygen formed an ozone layer around Earth
that protected life from the Suns rays.
Eventually cells stuck together to form creatures with many cells. Plants and animals came
out of the sea onto land and became ever more complex and aware, until about 100,000
years human beings evolved from a shared ancestor with the species of apes.
Humans could talk in symbols and sing, dance, draw, and cooperate more than the other
animals could. Humans learned to write and to accumulate their learning so that it kept
expanding. Humans increased in skills and in numbers until there were too many people and
too few big animals in some places.
Then humans learned to grow their own food and herd their own animals. Some animals
learned to cooperate with humans. This gave humans new sources of food and work energy,
and they could live in larger and larger groups. These groups expanded into cities and
empires, using more and more of the resources of Earth. Humans collaborated and learned
collectively in more complex ways; they traveled, traded, and exchanged inventions, creating
vast civilizations of astonishing beauty and complexity.
Humans were always looking for more energy for their use. About 200 years ago we learned
to use the energy from coal trees that grew more than 300,000 years ago, then were
buried underground. Humans learned to burn oil animal remains buried long ago under
the sea. Using these fossil fuels, humans began to change their climate quickly, as the
gases released from burning these fuels ascended into the atmosphere.
Now humans are in a predicament our population is increasing rapidly, fossil fuels are
running out, we are pushing many plants and other animals into extinction, and we are
changing the climate. What are we humans going to do next?

This version of modern sciences origin story pulls together and summarizes a great body of
historical and scientific information.
In the beginning, as far as we know, there was nothing. There was just darkness. Suddenly,
from a single point, all the energy in the Universe burst forth. Since that moment 13.8 billion
years ago, the Universe has been expanding and cooling down as it gets bigger.
one proton to become an atom of hydrogen. Great clouds of hydrogen atoms swirled around
space. Then gravity pulled some atoms so close together that they began to burn as stars.
Stars swirled together in giant clusters called galaxies; now there are galaxies numbering in
the billions.
After each star burned up all its matter, it died in a huge explosion. The explosion generated
so much heat that some atoms fused. As they joined together, they got more and more
complex, forming many different elements, including gold and silver.
One giant star, our mother star, exploded and scattered clouds of gas containing all the
elements needed to form living beings. About 5 billion years ago, gravity pulled these atoms
into a new star: our Sun. The leftover pieces of matter stuck to each other and formed eight
planets, which revolve around the Sun.
The third planet out, Earth, became our home. It was the perfect size not too big, not too
small and the perfect distance from the Sun. If it had been too far it would be too cold to
support life. Too close, and our planet would be too warm. A thin crust formed over Earths
hot interior, and the temperature was just right for water to form on parts of the surface.
Gradually the chemicals in the water formed inside of membranes and got more complex
until one-celled living things appeared, able to keep themselves alive and reproduce.
But they also changed their environment. They learned to burn energy from the Sun, and
that protected life from the suns rays.
Creatures with many cells form

out of the sea and onto land. They became more and more complex and aware, until about
100,000 years human beings evolved from a shared ancestor with the species of apes.
animals could. Humans learned to write and to collect their learning together so that it kept
expanding. Humans increased in skills and in numbers. In some places, there were too
many people and too few big animals.
learned to cooperate with humans. This gave humans new sources of food and animals
helped them do work. This led to people living in larger and larger groups. These groups
expanded into cities and empires, using more and more of the resources of Earth. Humans
collaborated and learned collectively in more complex ways; they traveled, traded, and
exchanged inventions. They created vast civilizations of astonishing beauty and complexity.
Humans were always looking for more energy for their use. About 200 years ago, we
learned to use the energy from coal. This hard rock, which we burn for energy, came from
trees that grew more than 300,000 years ago, then were buried underground. Humans
learned to burn oil remains of tiny animals like plankton and algae buried long ago under
the sea. As we burned these fossil fuels, the gases they released ascended into the
atmosphere. The human need for more and more energy began to change the climate
quickly.
Now humans are in a difficult situation our population is increasing rapidly, fossil fuels are
running out, we are pushing many plants and other animals into extinction. As a result, we
are changing the climate. What are we humans going to do next?

This version of an origin story is based on modern science. It summarizes a great collection
of historical and scientific information.
In the beginning, there was nothing. There was just darkness. Suddenly, from a single point,
all the energy in the Universe burst forth. That moment was 13.8 billion years ago. Since
then, the Universe has been expanding. And as it gets bigger it cools down.
one proton to become an atom of hydrogen. Great clouds of hydrogen atoms swirled around
space. Then gravity pulled some atoms so close together that they began to burn as stars.
Stars swirled together in giant clusters called galaxies. Today, the number of galaxies is in
the billions.
After each star burned up all its matter, it died in a huge explosion. The explosion was so
hot, some of the atoms got stuck together. As they joined, they got more and more complex.
That allowed them to form many different elements, including gold and silver.
One giant star, our mother star, exploded. The explosion scattered clouds of gas containing
all the elements needed to form living beings. About 5 billion years ago, gravity pulled these
atoms into a new star that became the Sun. The leftover pieces of matter stuck to each other
and formed eight planets. These planets revolve around the Sun and make up our solar
system.
Perfect size, perfect distance

The third planet out from the Sun, Earth, became our home. It was the perfect size not
too big, not too small. And it was the perfect distance from the Sun. If it had been too far
away it would be too cold. Too close, and our planet would be too warm.
A thin crust formed over Earths hot interior. The temperature on the surface was just right
for water to form. Gradually the chemicals in the water formed inside of little sacks called
membranes, which protected them from the water. Inside the membranes one-celled living
things appeared. Those organisms were able to survive and reproduce.
But they also changed their environment. They learned to burn energy from the sun. And
that protected life from the Suns rays.
out of the sea and onto land. They became more and more complex and aware. Then about
100,000 years ago human beings came onto the scene. We evolved from a shared ancestor
with the species of apes.
animals could. Humans learned to write. Importantly, we began to collect our learning
together so that it kept expanding. Humans increased in skills and in numbers. In some
places, there were too many people and too few big animals.
learned to cooperate with humans. This gave humans new sources of food and animals
helped them do work. This led to people living in larger and larger groups. These groups
expanded into cities and empires. As humankind grew it used more and more of the
resources of Earth. Humans collaborated and learned collectively in more complex ways;
they traveled, traded, and exchanged inventions. They created vast civilizations of
astonishing beauty and complexity.
Humans were always looking for more energy to use. About 200 years ago, we learned to
use the energy from coal. We found this hard rock buried underground. Coal actually came
from trees that grew more than 300,000 years ago. Over time the trees became fossils. Now
we burn coal for heat and electricity.
Humans also learned to burn oil to create energy. Like coal, oil helped create heat and
electricity. It also powered cars and planes. Like coal, we have to dig it up. Oil comes from
the remains of tiny animals like algae and plankton buried long ago under the sea and
fossilized. As we burned these fossil fuels, the gases they released drifted up into the
atmosphere. The human need for more and more energy began to change the climate
quickly.
Now humans are in a difficult situation. Fossil fuels are running out. Yet, our population is
growing quickly. We are pushing many plants and other animals into extinction. As a result of
all this, we are changing the climate. What are we humans going to do next?
Pan Gu: The Chinese Origin Story

First written down about 1,760 years ago, this story of how the Universe began was told
orally long before that.
Pan Gu: The Chinese Origin Story (1050L)

This origin story comes from Chinese culture. It was first written down about 1,760 years
ago, roughly 220265 CE, yet it must have been told orally long before that.
In the beginning was a huge egg containing chaos, a mixture of yin and yang femalemale, aggressive-passive, cold-hot, dark-light, and wet-dry. Within this yin and yang was
Pan Gu, who broke forth from the egg as the giant who separated chaos into the many
opposites, including Earth and sky.
Pan Gu stood in the middle, his head touching the sky, his feet planted on Earth.
The heavens and the Earth began to grow at a rate of 10 feet a day, and Pan Gu grew along
with them. After another 18,000 years the sky was higher and Earth was thicker. Pan Gu
stood between them like a pillar 30,000 miles in height, so they would never again join.
When Pan Gu died, his skull became the top of the sky, his breath became the wind and
clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One eye became the Sun and the other the Moon. His
body and limbs turned into five big mountains, and his blood formed the roaring water. His
veins became roads and his muscles turned to fertile land. The innumerable stars in the sky
came from his hair and beard, and flowers and trees from his skin. His marrow turned to
jade and pearls. His sweat flowed like the good rain and the sweet dew that nurtures all
things on Earth. Some people say that the fleas and the lice on his body became the
ancestors of humanity.

This origin story comes from Chinese culture. It was first written down about 1,760 years
ago, roughly 220265 CE, yet people must have spoken it to pass the story down through
the generations long before that.
In the beginning was a huge egg containing chaos. It was a mixture of yin and yang
opposites like female and male, war and peace, hot and cold, dark and light, and wet and
dry. Within this yin and yang was Pan Gu, the first living being. He broke forth from the egg
as a hairy giant. To create the world he separated chaos into the many opposites, including
Earth and sky.
Pan Gu stood in the middle to keep them separate. His head touched the sky, his feet were
planted on Earth.
The heavens and the Earth began to grow at a rate of 10 feet a day. Pan Gu grew along with
them. After another 18,000 years the sky was higher and Earth was thicker. Pan Gu stood
between them like a pillar 30,000 miles in height, so they would never again join.
When Pan Gu died, his skull became the top of the sky, his breath became the wind and
clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One eye became the Sun and the other the Moon. His
body and limbs turned into five big mountains, and his blood formed the roaring water. His
veins became roads and his muscles turned into rich soil suited for farming. The countless
stars in the sky came from his hair and beard, and flowers and trees from his skin. The
marrow in his bones turned to jade and pearls. His sweat flowed like the good rain and the
sweet dew that nurtures all things on Earth. Some people say that the fleas and the lice on
his body became the ancestors of humans.

This origin story comes from China. It was first written down about 1,760 years ago, roughly
220265 CE. Yet, it must have been passed along as a spoken story long before that.
In the beginning was a huge egg containing chaos, a mixture of opposites. These opposing
forces are found everywhere in all nature female-male, cold-hot, dark-light, and wet-dry.
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Within this yin and yang was Pan Gu, the first living thing. He lay asleep in the egg for
18,000 years. Then he awoke, breaking forth from the egg as a hairy giant. Pan Gu set
about creating the world. He separated chaos into the many opposites, including Earth and
sky.
Pan Gu stood in the middle to keep them separate. His head touched the sky, his feet were
planted on Earth.
The heavens and the Earth began to grow by 10 feet a day. Pan Gu grew along with them.
Each day he grew by 10 feet. Another 18,000 years passed. The sky had grown higher and
the Earth was thicker. Pan Gu was now 30,000 miles in height. He stood between the sky
and earth like a pillar so they would never again join.
When Pan Gu died, parts of his gigantic body formed the Universe. His skull became the top
of the sky, his breath became the wind and clouds, his voice the rolling thunder. One eye
became the Sun. His other eye became the Moon. His body and limbs turned into five big
mountains, and his blood formed the roaring water. His veins became roads and his muscles
turned into rich soil good for growing food. The countless stars in the sky came from his hair
and beard. Flowers and trees came from his skin. The marrow in his bones turned to jade
and pearls. His sweat turned into rain. Some people say that the fleas and the lice on his
body became the ancestors of humans.
Genesis: The Judeo-Christian Origin Story

This story comes from the first book of the Old Testament, the sacred source book of both
Judaism and Christianity.
Genesis: The Judeo-Christian Origin Story (920L)

By Big History Project
This biblical story comes from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, which is the
sacred source book of both Judaism and Christianity. In Genesis, this story is followed
immediately by a second creation story in Chapter 2, in which humans are created first,
followed by plants and animals.
These stories were written down in the first millennium BCE and evolved into the form in
which we know them around 450 BCE, about 2,460 years ago.
Genesis: Chapter 1
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was a formless
void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering
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over the waters. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that the
light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and
the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morning the first
day.
And God said, Let there be a dome between the waters to separate water from water. So
God made the dome and separated the water under the dome from the water above it. And
it was so. God called the dome sky. And there was evening, and there was morning the
second day.
And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground
appear. And it was so. God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called
seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, of every kind. And it
was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed of every kind and trees bearing
fruit with seed in it of every kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and
there was morning the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night,
and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be
lights in the dome of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. God made two great
lights the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also
made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light on the Earth, to govern the
day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And
there was evening, and there was morning the fourth day.
And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the Earth
across the dome of the sky. So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living
thing of every kind that moves in the teeming water, and every winged bird of every kind.
And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the Earth. And there was
evening, and there was morning the fifth day.
And God said, Let the land produce living creatures of every kind: the livestock, the
creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each of every kind. And it was
so. God made the wild animals of every kind, the livestock of every kind, and all the
creatures that move along the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male
and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase
in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and
every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of
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the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground
everything that has the breath of life in it I give every green plant for food. And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning the sixth day.
Thus the heaven and the Earth were finished, with all their multitudes. And on the seventh
day God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. God blessed the seventh day
and hallowed it because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

By Big History Project, adapted by Newsela
This biblical story comes from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. It is the creation
story of both Jews and Christians. In Genesis, this story is followed immediately by a second
creation story in Chapter 2. In the second, God creates man from dust and places him in the
Garden of Eden.
These stories were written down several thousand years ago. They evolved into the form in
Genesis: Chapter 1
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was an empty,
shapeless hole of nothing. Darkness was everywhere. And God said, Let there be light,
and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the
darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was
evening, and there was morning the first day.
it was so. God called the dome sky. And there was evening, and there was morning the
second day.
seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation.
And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed of every kind and trees
bearing fruit with seed in it of every kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was
evening, and there was morning the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night.
And it was so. God made two great lights the greater light to govern the day and the
lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky
to give light on the Earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from
darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning
the fourth day.
13
And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the Earth
across the dome of the sky. So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living
thing of every kind that moves in the teeming water, and every winged bird of every kind.
And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the Earth. And there was
evening, and there was morning the fifth day.
And God said, Let the land produce living creatures of every kind: the livestock, the
creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each of every kind. And it was
so. God made the wild animals of every kind, the livestock of every kind, and all the
creatures that move along the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male
and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase
in number." He put humans in charge of the Earth: "Rule over the fish in the sea and the
birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and
the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning the sixth day.
Thus the heaven and the earth were finished. And on the seventh day God rested from all
the work that he had done in creation. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a holy day
because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

By Big History Project, adapted by Newsela
This biblical story comes from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, which is the
sacred source book for both Jews and Christians. In Genesis, this story is followed
immediately by a second creation story in Chapter 2. In the second, God creates man from
dust and places him in the Garden of Eden.
These stories were written down thousands of years ago. They evolved into the form in
Genesis: Chapter 1
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was a shapeless
hole of nothing. Darkness was everywhere. And God said, Let there be light, and there was
light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God
14
called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there
was morning. This marked the first day.
it was so. God called the dome sky. And there was evening, and there was morning. This
marked the second day.
seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation.
And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed of every kind and trees
bearing fruit with seed in it of every kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was
evening, and there was morning. This marked the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night.
And it was so. God made two great lights the Sun to govern the day and the Moon to
govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light
on the Earth, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there
was evening, and there was morning. This marked the fourth day.
And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures. So God created the great creatures
of the sea and winged birds. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, Be
fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the
Earth. And there was evening, and there was morning. This marked the fifth day.
And God said, Let the land produce living creatures of every kind And it was so. God made
all the creatures that move along the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness."
So God created humankind in his own image; male and female. God blessed them and said
to them, Be fruitful and increase in number." He put humans in charge of the Earth: "Rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on
the ground.
Then God said, I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole Earth and
the Earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground
God saw all that he had made. It was very good. And there was evening, and there was
morning. This marked the sixth day.
Thus the heaven and the Earth were finished. And on the seventh day God rested from all
the work that he had done in creation. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a holy day
because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
15
The Great Turtle: Iroquois Origin Story

The Iroquois people of North America spoke this story. Settlers from Europe wrote it down.
The Great Turtle: Iroquois Origin Story (930L)

This story comes from the Iroquois people in North America. In the 1400s they formed a
federation of five separate tribes in what is now New York state. The Iroquois did not use
writing, so they told this story orally until settlers from Europe wrote it down.
The first people lived beyond the sky because there was no Earth beneath. The chiefs
daughter became ill, and no cure could be found. A wise old man told them to dig up a tree
and lay the girl beside the hole. People began to dig, but as they did the tree fell right
through the hole, dragging the girl with it.
Below lay an endless sheet of water where two swans floated. As the swans looked up, they
saw the sky break and a strange tree fall down into the water. Then they saw the girl fall
after it. They swam to her and supported her, because she was too beautiful to allow her to
drown. Then they swam to the Great Turtle, master of all the animals, who at once called a
council.
When all the animals had arrived, the Great Turtle told them that the appearance of a
woman from the sky was a sign of good fortune. Since the tree had Earth on its roots, he
asked them to find where it had sunk and bring up some of the earth to put on his back, to
make an island for the woman to live on.
The swans led the animals to the place where the tree had fallen. First otter, then muskrat,
and then beaver dived. As each one came up from the great depths, he rolled over
exhausted and died. Many other animals tried, but they experienced the same fate.
At last the old lady toad volunteered. She was under so long that the others thought she had
been lost. But at last she came to the surface and before dying managed to spit out a
mouthful of dirt on the back of the Great Turtle.
It was magical earth and had the power of growth. As soon as it was as big as an island, the
woman was set down on it. The two white swans circled it, while it continued to grow until, at
last, it became the world island as it is today, supported in the great waters on the back of
the Great Turtle.

federation of five separate tribes in what is now the state of New York. The Iroquois did not
use writing. They told this story orally until settlers from Europe wrote it down.
16
The first people lived in a world up past the sky because there was no Earth beneath it. The
chiefs daughter became ill, and no cure could be found. A wise old man told them to dig up
a tree and lay the girl beside the hole. People began to dig, but as they did the tree fell right
through the hole, dragging the girl with it.
Below lay an endless sea of water where two swans floated. As the swans looked up, they
after it. They swam to her and supported her, because she was too beautiful to let drown.
Then they swam to the Great Turtle, master of all the animals. At once, he called a council
meeting.
When all the animals had arrived, the Great Turtle told them that the appearance of a
woman from the sky was a sign of good fortune. Since the tree had Earth on its roots, he
asked them to find where it had sunk. He told them to bring up some of the Earth to put on
his back, to make an island for the woman to live on.
exhausted and died. Many other animals tried, but they also died, just as those before them
had.
been lost. But at last she came to the surface and before dying managed to spit out a
It was magical Earth and had the power of growth. As soon as it was as big as an island, the
woman was set down on it. The two white swans circled it, while it continued to grow. At last,
it became the world island as it is today, supported in the great waters on the back of the
Great Turtle.

federation of five tribes in what is now the state of New York. The Iroquois did not use
writing. They passed this story by word of mouth for many years. Finally, settlers from
Europe wrote it down.
The first people lived in a world past the sky. They lived there because there was no Earth
beneath it. The chief of the people had a daughter. She became ill and no cure could be
found for her sickness. A wise old man told them to dig up a tree and lay the girl beside the
hole. People began to dig, but as they did the tree fell right through the hole, dragging the
girl with it.
17
Below lay an endless sea of water where two swans floated. As the swans looked up, they
after it. They swam to her and supported her, because she was too beautiful to let drown.
Then they swam to the Great Turtle, master of all the animals. He called a meeting right
away.
All the animals gathered around. The Great Turtle told them that the woman falling from the
sky was a sign of good fortune. The tree had Earth on its roots, so he asked them to find
where it had sunk. He told them to bring up some of the Earth from the tree. By putting the
Earth on his back, he could make an island for the woman to live on.
exhausted and died. Many other animals tried, but they also died, like those before them.
been lost. But at last she came to the surface. Before dying, she managed to spit out a
It was magical Earth and had the power of growth. As soon as it was as big as an island, the
woman was set down on it. The two white swans circled it. All the while it continued to grow.
At last, it became the world island as it is today, supported in the great waters on the back of
the Great Turtle.
The Popol Vuh: Mayan Origin Story

This is the beginning of a long, complex story called the Popol Vuh which means "council
book." It was told by the Mayans who long ago lived in the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico.
The Popol Vuh: Mayan Origin Story (800L)

This origin story was told by the Mayans, who lived in the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico from
around 250 to 900 CE. Its the beginning of a long, complex story called the Popol
Vuh which means council book. It was first translated into alphabetic text from Mayan
hieroglyphics in the 16th century.
Now it still ripples, now it still murmurs, still sighs, and is empty under the sky. There is not
yet one person, not one animal, bird, fish, or tree. There is only the sky alone; the face of
Earth is not clear, only the sea alone is pooled under all the sky. Whatever might be is simply
not there.
18
There were makers in the sea, together called the Plumed Serpent. There were makers in
the sky, together called the Heart of Sky. Together these makers planned the dawn of life.
The Earth arose because of them. It was simply their word that brought it forth. It arose
suddenly, like a cloud unfolding. Then the mountains were separated from the water. All at
once great mountains came forth. The sky was set apart, and the Earth was set apart in the
midst of the waters.
Then the makers in the sky planned the animals of the mountains the deer, pumas,
jaguars, rattlesnakes, and guardians of the bushes. Then they established the nests of the
birds, great and small. You precious birds; your nests are in the trees and bushes. Then
the deer and birds were told to talk to praise their makers, to pray to them. But the birds and
animals did not talk; they just squawked and howled. So they had to accept that their flesh
would be eaten by others.
The makers tried again to form a giver of respect, a creature who would nurture and provide.
They made a body from mud, but it didnt look good. It talked at first but then crumbled and
disintegrated into the water. Then the Heart of Sky called on the wise ones, the diviners, the
Grandfather Xpiyacoc and the Grandmother Xmucane, to help decide how to form a person.
The Grandparents said it is well to make wooden carvings, human in looks and speech. So
wooden humans came into being; they talked and multiplied, but there was nothing in their
minds and hearts, no memory of their builder, no memory of Heart of Sky.
Then there came a great destruction. The wooden carvings were killed when the Heart of
Sky devised a flood for them. It rained all day and all night. The animals came into the
homes of the wooden carvings and ate them. The people were overthrown. The monkeys in
the forest are a sign of this. They look like the previous people mere wooden carvings.
The story continues with the final people being made from corn, an important crop that
enabled the Mayan people to move from being a hunting-and-gathering society to a more
complex civilization.
The Popol Vuh: Mayan Origin Story (640L)

This origin story was told by the Mayans, who flourished in Mexico and Guatemala from
around 250 to 900 CE. Its the beginning of a long, detailed story called the Popol Vuh which
means council book. It was first translated from Mayan hieroglyphics in the 16th century.
Now it still ripples, now it still murmurs, still sighs, and is empty under the sky. There is not
yet one person, not one animal, bird, fish, or tree. There is only the sky alone; the face of
Earth is not clear. Only the sea is under all the sky. Whatever else might be is simply not
there.
There were makers in the sea, together called the Plumed Serpent. There were makers in
the sky, together called the Heart of Sky. Together these makers planned the start of life.
19
The Earth arose because of them. It appeared simply by them speaking. It arose suddenly,
like a cloud unfolding. Then the mountains were separated from the water. All at once great
mountains came forth. The sky was set apart, and the Earth was set apart in the midst of the
waters.
Then the makers in the sky planned the animals of the mountains. They made the deer,
pumas, jaguars, and rattlesnakes. Then they started the nests of the birds, great and small.
You precious birds; your nests are in the trees and bushes. Then the deer and birds were
told to talk to praise their makers, to pray to them. But the birds and animals did not talk;
they just squawked and howled. So they had to accept that their flesh would be eaten by
others.
The makers tried again to form a giver of respect. They wanted to create a creature who
would nurture and provide. They made a body from mud, but it didnt look good. It talked at
first but then crumbled and disintegrated into the water. Then the Heart of Sky called on the
wise ones, the Grandfather Xpiyacoc and the Grandmother Xmucane, to help decide how to
form a person. The Grandparents were also creator gods. They said to make wooden
carvings that were human in looks and speech. So wooden humans came into being; they
talked and multiplied. But there was nothing in their minds and hearts. They had no memory
of their builder, no memory of Heart of Sky.
Then there came a great destruction. The wooden carvings were killed when the Heart of
Sky devised a flood for them. It rained all day and all night. The animals came into the
homes of the wooden carvings and ate them. The people were overthrown. The monkeys in
the forest are a sign of this. They look like the previous people mere wooden carvings.
The story continues with the final people being made from corn. The all-important crop
enabled the Mayan people to move from being a hunting-and-gathering society to a more
advanced civilization.
The Titans and the Gods of Olympus: Greek Origin Story

This origin story comes from some of the earliest Greek writings that have survived.
The Titans and the Gods of Olympus: Greek Origin Story (1190L)
We know the Greek origin story from some of the earliest Greek literary sources that have
survived, The Theogony and Works and Days, by Hesiod. This oral poet is thought to have
been active sometime between 750 and 650 BCE, within decades of when the Homeric
epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, took the form in which we know them.
Archaeological findings support the creation story recorded in Hesiods work; pottery from
the eighth century BCE depicts the gods and goddesses he describes. Before Hesiod told
this patriarchal version, in which the first woman is the cause of much trouble, Pandora,
whose name means gift giver, was known in oral tradition as a beneficent Earth goddess.
20
In the beginning there was Chaos, a yawning nothingness. Out of the void emerged Gaia
(the Earth) and other divine beings Eros (love), the Abyss (part of the underworld), and
the Erebus (the unknowable place where death dwells). Without male assistance, Gaia gave
birth to Uranus (the sky), who then fertilized her.
From that union the first Titans were born six males: Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Hyperion,
Iapetus, and Oceanus, and six females: Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis, and
Tethys. After Cronus (time) was born, Gaia and Uranus decreed no more Titans were to be
born.
Cronus castrated his father and threw the severed genitals into the sea, from which arose
Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Cronus became the ruler of the gods with
his sister-wife, Rhea, as his consort. The other Titans became his court. Because Cronus
had betrayed his father, he feared that his offspring would do the same. So each time Rhea
gave birth, Cronus snatched up the child and ate it. Rhea hated this and tricked him by
hiding one child, Zeus, and wrapping a stone in a babys blanket so that Cronus ate the
stone instead of the baby.
When Zeus was grown, he fed his father a drugged drink, which caused Cronus to vomit,
throwing up Rheas other children and the stone. Zeus then challenged Cronus to war for the
kingship of the gods. At last Zeus and his siblings, the Olympians, were victorious, and the
Titans were hurled down to imprisonment in the Abyss.
Zeus was plagued by the same concern as his father had been and, after a prophecy that
his first wife, Metis, would give birth to a god greater than he, he swallowed Metis. But she
was already pregnant with Athena, and they both made him miserable until Athena, the
goddess of wisdom, civilization and justice, burst from his head fully grown and dressed
for war. Zeus was able to fight off all challenges to his power and to remain the ruler of
Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.
One son of the Titans, Prometheus, did not fight with fellow Titans against Zeus and was
spared imprisonment; he was given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out
of mud, and Athena breathed life into the clay figure. Prometheus made man stand upright
as the gods did and gave him fire. Prometheus tricked Zeus, and to punish him, Zeus
created Pandora, the first woman, of stunning beauty, wealth, and a deceptive heart and
lying tongue. He also gave Pandora a box she was commanded never to open, but
eventually her curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the box to release all kinds of
evil, plagues, sorrows, and misfortunes, and also hope, which lay at the bottom of the box.
We know the Greek origin story from some of the earliest Greek literary sources that have
survived, The Theogony and Works and Days, by Hesiod. This oral poet is thought to have
been active sometime between 750 and 650 BCE, within decades of when the Homeric
epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, took the form in which we know them.
21
Artifacts found by archaeologists support the creation story recorded in Hesiods work;
pottery from the eighth century BCE depicts the gods and goddesses he describes. Hesiod
told this male-centric version, in which Pandora, the first woman created by the gods, is the
cause of much trouble. But, before this, Pandora whose name means gift giver was
known in oral tradition as a kindly Earth goddess.
In the beginning there was Chaos, a nothingness. Out of the void emerged Gaia (the Earth)
and other divine beings Eros (love), the Abyss (part of the underworld), and the Erebus
(the unknowable place where death dwells). Without male assistance, Gaia gave birth to
Uranus (the Sky). Uranus in turn fertilized her.
born.
Cronus cut off his father Uranus' genitals and threw them into the sea, from which arose
Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Cronus became the ruler of the gods with
his sister-wife, Rhea. The other Titans became his court. Because Cronus had betrayed his
father, he feared that his offspring would do the same. So each time Rhea gave birth,
Cronus snatched up the child and ate it. Rhea hated this and tricked him by hiding one child,
Zeus. She wrapped a stone in a babys blanket so that Cronus ate the stone instead of the
baby.
When Zeus was grown, he fed his father a drugged drink. It caused Cronus to vomit,
kingship of the gods. At last Zeus and his siblings, the Olympians, were victorious, and the
Zeus was plagued by the same concern as his father had been. After a prophecy that his
first wife, Metis, would give birth to a god greater than he, he tricked her into turning herself
into a fly. Then he promptly swallowed her. But she was already pregnant with Athena.
Inside Zeus's stomach they both made him miserable until Athena, the goddess of wisdom,
civilization and justice, burst from his head fully grown and dressed for war. Zeus was
able to fight off all challenges to his power and to remain the ruler of Mount Olympus, the
home of the gods.
One son of the Titans, Prometheus, did not fight with fellow Titans against Zeus and was
spared imprisonment; he was given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out
of mud, and Athena breathed life into the clay figure. Prometheus made man stand upright
as the gods did and gave him fire. Prometheus tricked Zeus. To punish him, Zeus created
the first woman, Pandora. She was a stunning beauty with immense wealth, but she had the
heart and tongue of a liar. He also gave Pandora a box she was commanded never to open.
Eventually, however, her curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the box to release all
kinds of evil, plagues, sorrows, and misfortunes. Yet, she also released hope, which lay at
the bottom of the box.
22
We know the Greek origin story from some of the earliest Greek writings that have survived.
This account comes from the poet Hesiod. He is thought to have been active sometime
between 750 and 650 BCE. Hesiod worked within decades of when the Homeric epics, The
Iliad and The Odyssey, took form.
Items found by archaeologists support the creation story recorded by Hesiod; pottery from
the eighth century BCE was decorated with the gods and goddesses he describes. Hesiod
told a version in which Pandora, the first woman created by the gods, is the cause of much
trouble. But, before this, Pandora whose name means gift giver was known in
spoken stories as a kindly Earth goddess.
In the beginning there was Chaos, a nothingness. Out of the void emerged Gaia (the Earth)
and other divine beings Eros (love), the Abyss (part of the underworld), and the Erebus
(the unknowable place where death dwells). Without male assistance, Gaia gave birth to
Uranus (the Sky). Uranus in turn fertilized her.
born.
Cronus cut off his father Uranus' genitals and threw them into the sea, from which arose
Aphrodite, goddess of love. Cronus became the ruler of the gods with his sister-wife, Rhea,
as his queen. The other Titans became his court. Because Cronus had betrayed his father,
he feared that his offspring would do the same. So each time Rhea gave birth, Cronus
snatched up the child and ate it. Rhea hated this and tricked him by hiding one child, Zeus.
She wrapped a stone in a babys blanket so that Cronus ate the stone instead of the baby.
When Zeus was grown, he fed his father a poisoned drink. It caused Cronus to vomit,
kingship of the gods. At last Zeus and his siblings, the Olympians, were victorious. The
Zeus was plagued by the same concern as his father had been. After a prophecy that his
first wife, Metis, would give birth to a god greater than he, he tricked her into turning herself
into a fly. Then he promptly swallowed her. But she was already pregnant with Athena.
Inside Zeus's stomach they both made him miserable until Athena, the goddess of wisdom,
civilization and justice, burst from his head fully grown and dressed for war. Zeus was
able to fight off all challenges to his power and to remain the ruler of Mount Olympus, the
home of the gods.
One son of the Titans, Prometheus, did not fight with fellow Titans against Zeus. He was
therefore spared imprisonment and given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man
out of mud, and Athena breathed life into the clay figure. Prometheus made man stand
upright as the gods did and gave him fire.
23
By giving man fire, Prometheus tricked Zeus. To punish him, Zeus created Pandora, the first
woman. She was of stunning beauty and wealth, yet she had the heart and tongue of a liar.
He also gave Pandora a box she was commanded never to open. Eventually, however, her
curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the box to release all kinds of evil, plagues,
sorrows, and misfortunes. Yet, she also released hope, which lay at the bottom of the box.
Zulu: Unkulunkulu, the Great One

Different versions of the Zulu origin story all share this theme: Life has a single common
ancestor.
Zulu: Unkulunkulu, the Great One (890L)

Compiled by David Baker
Different versions of the Zulu origin story all share this theme: Life has a single common
ancestor.
The Zulu are a proud African people, famous throughout history for their fierceness and
bravery in fending off invaders. Archaeologists tell us they traveled to the lush green lands of
south-eastern Africa many centuries ago from the huge lake regions to the north. Their
creation story has many versions, passed down by word of mouth from generation to
generation. It tells of how the ancestors of all plants, animals, and humanity began from a
single source.
At first, there was nothing but darkness. Earth was a lifeless rock. But in that darkness dwelt
a god, Umvelinqangi, whose voice was like thunder and who, when angered, would shake
the world with earthquakes. Umvelinqangi created a single tiny seed. He sent it to the Earth.
This seed was the very first life, from which all other life descended. It landed in the soil and
sprouted into a long reed. The reed dropped more seeds, which fell off and grew into even
more reeds. This continued until they covered a massive swamp to the north, the land called
Uthlanga.
At the end of one reed, there grew a man. His name was Unkulunkulu, known as the first
ancestor and the Great One. Very small at first, he grew so large and heavy that he
snapped off the end of the reed. Walking across the land of Uthlanga, he noticed men and
women were sprouting at the ends of the other reeds. He picked them from the reeds. These
people were the first humans, the ancestors of all nations, and they spread across the Earth.
It was from Uthlanga that the ancestors of the Zulu journeyed south to the fertile lands they
inhabit today.
The Great One continued to walk among the reeds. He saw many forms of life growing at
the end of them. He gathered the fish and flung them into the rivers. Fields and forests
began to grow, so he harvested birds and antelope, and they darted off into the wild. He
picked cattle so they could be used by humans. He plucked off a ball of fire and a round
24
glowing stone, and flung them into the sky. These were the Sun and Moon. Light came into
the world.
The Great One also plucked from the reeds fierce lions and other beasts that would travel
the lands hunting prey. He harvested magical creatures, some good and some bad. One
was the snake-like goddess of the rivers, Mamlambo, rumored by some Zulu to drown
people, eat their faces, and suck out their brains. Another goddess was Mbaba Mwana
Waresa, a beautiful woman who created rain and rainbows, and who invented farming and
gave the Zulu the gift of beer.
One of the final acts of the Great One was the most tragic. He plucked the first chameleon
off a reed and sent it to give humans the following message: Men must not die. By the
words of the Great One, humans would become immortal. Unfortunately, the chameleon was
slow and lazy in his journey. The Great One grew impatient and picked a different lizard from
a reed.
This lizard was fast and quickly arrived to give word to the humans. But the lizard did not
bear the same instructions. Instead the lizard uttered the words, Men must die. And so
from that day, humans became mortal. It is said that chameleons change color because they
are so ashamed their ancestor was not fast enough to spare humankind the invention of
death.
The Great One was so powerful in all he created, many Zulu suspect he was the god who
sent the seed to Earth in the first place and that he used it to transform himself into flesh and
blood. But Zulu histories have differing versions of the story. The one thing of which the Zulu
are certain is that all lifeincluding humanityhas a single common ancestor.

Compiled by David Baker, adapted by Newsela
The Zulu people have different versions of their origin story. Yet all versions share this same
theme: Life has a single common ancestor.
The Zulu are a proud African people. They're famous throughout history for their fierceness
and bravery in fending off invaders. Archaeologists tell us they traveled to the green lands of
south-eastern Africa many centuries ago from the huge lake regions to the north. Today, they
make up the largest group in South Africa. Their creation story has been passed down by
word of mouth from generation to generation. It tells of how the ancestors of all plants,
animals, and humanity began from a single source.
At first, there was nothing but darkness. Earth was a lifeless rock. But in that darkness there
was a god, Umvelinqangi, whose voice was like thunder and who, when angered, would
shake the world with earthquakes. Umvelinqangi created a single tiny seed. He sent it to the
Earth. This seed was the very first life, from which all other life descended. It landed in the
soil and sprouted into a long reed. The reed dropped more seeds, which fell off and grew
into even more reeds. This continued until they covered a massive swamp to the north, the
land called Uthlanga.
25
ancestor and the Great One. Very small at first, he grew so large and heavy that he
snapped off the end of the reed. Walking across the land of Uthlanga, he noticed men and
women were sprouting at the ends of the other reeds. He picked them from the reeds. These
people were the first humans, the ancestors of all nations, and they spread across the Earth.
It was from Uthlanga that the ancestors of the Zulu journeyed south to the fertile lands they
live in today.
the world.
The Great One also plucked from the reeds fierce lions and other beasts that would travel
the lands hunting prey. He harvested magical creatures, some good and some bad. One
was the snake-like goddess of the rivers named Mamlambo. She was rumored by some
Zulu to drown people, eat their faces, and suck out their brains. Another goddess was
Mbaba Mwana Waresa, a beautiful woman who created rain and rainbows. She also
invented farming and gave the Zulu the gift of beer.
off a reed and sent it to give humans the following message: Men must not die. By the
words of the Great One, humans would become immortal. Unfortunately, the chameleon was
slow and lazy in his journey. The Great One grew impatient and picked a different lizard from
a reed.
This lizard was fast and quickly arrived to give word to the humans. But the lizard did not
bring the same instructions. Instead the lizard said the words, Men must die. And so from
that day, humans became mortal. It is said that chameleons change color because they are
so ashamed their ancestor was not fast enough to spare humankind the invention of death.
The Great One was powerful in all he created. Many Zulu suspect he was the god who sent
the seed to Earth in the first place. They think that he used it to transform himself into flesh
and blood. But Zulu histories have differing versions of the story. The one thing of which the
Zulu are certain is that all life including humans has a single common ancestor.

There are different versions of the origin story told by the Zulu people. However, all versions
all share this theme: Life comes from one common ancestor.
The Zulu are a proud African people. They're famous throughout history for their fierceness.
They've bravely fought off invaders many times. Archaeologists tell us they came from huge
lake regions in the north. Then many centuries ago, they traveled to the green lands of
26
south-eastern Africa. Today, they are the largest group in South Africa. Their creation story
has many versions. From generation to generation, it has been passed down by word of
mouth. It tells of how the ancestors of all plants, animals, and humans began from a single
source.
At first, there was nothing but darkness. Earth was a lifeless rock. But in that darkness lived
a god, Umvelinqangi. His voice was like thunder, and when angered, he would shake the
world with earthquakes. Umvelinqangi created a single tiny seed and sent it to Earth. This
seed was the very first life. All other life is descended from it. The seed landed in the soil and
sprouted into a long reed. The reed dropped more seeds, which fell off and grew into even
more reeds. This continued until they covered a huge swamp to the north, the land called
Uthlanga.
ancestor and the Great One. He was very small at first. Yet he grew so large and heavy
that he snapped off the end of the reed. Soon he walked across the land of Uthlanga. He
noticed men and women were sprouting at the ends of the other reeds. He picked them from
the reeds. These people were the first humans, the ancestors of all nations, and they spread
across the Earth. It was from Uthlanga that the ancestors of the Zulu journeyed south to the
fertile lands they inhabit today.
the world.
The Great One also plucked lions and other fierce beasts from the reeds. These were the
animals that would travel the lands hunting prey. He also harvested magical creatures.
Some were good and some bad. One was the snake-like goddess of the rivers named
Mamlambo. She was rumored by some Zulu to drown people, eat their faces, and suck out
their brains. Another goddess was Mbaba Mwana Waresa. She was a beautiful woman who
created rain and rainbows. She also invented farming and gave the Zulu the gift of beer.
off a reed. Then he sent the chameleon to give humans the following message: Men must
not die. By the words of the Great One, humans would become immortal. Unfortunately, the
chameleon was slow and lazy in his journey. The Great One grew impatient and picked a
different lizard from a reed.
This lizard was fast. He quickly arrived to give word to the humans. But the lizard did not
that day, humans became mortal. It is said that chameleons change color because they are
so ashamed their ancestor was not fast enough to spare humankind the invention of death.
The Great One was powerful in all he created. Many Zulu suspect he was the god who sent
the seed to Earth in the first place. They think that he used it to transform himself into flesh
27
and blood. But Zulu histories have different versions of the story. The one thing of which the
Zulu are certain is that all life including humankind has one common ancestor.

There are different versions of the origin story from the Zulu people. Yet all share this theme:
Life has one common ancestor.
The Zulu are a proud African people. They're famous throughout history for their fierceness.
They've bravely fought off invaders many times. Archaeologists tell us they came from huge
lake regions in the north. Then many centuries ago, they traveled to south-eastern Africa.
The lands there are deeply green. Today, the Zulu are the largest group in South Africa.
Their creation story has passed down from generation to generation. Elders have told it to
the young. The story tells of how the ancestors of all plants, animals, and humans began
from a single source.
At first, there was nothing but darkness. Earth was a lifeless rock. But in that darkness lived
a god, Umvelinqangi. His voice was like thunder. When he became angry, he would shake
the world with earthquakes. Umvelinqangi created a single tiny seed and sent it to Earth.
This seed was the very first life. All other life is descended from it. The seed landed in the
soil and sprouted into a long reed. The reed dropped more seeds, which fell off and grew
into even more reeds. This continued until they covered a massive swamp to the north, the
land called Uthlanga.
At the end of one reed, there grew a man. His name was Unkulunkulu. He was known as
the first ancestor and the Great One. He was very small at first. Yet he grew so large and
heavy that he snapped off the end of the reed. Soon he walked across the land of Uthlanga.
He noticed men and women were sprouting at the ends of the other reeds. He picked them
from the reeds. These people were the first humans. They were the ancestors of all nations,
and they spread across the Earth. It was from Uthlanga that the ancestors of the Zulu
journeyed south to the fertile lands. These are the lands where they still live today.
began to grow. Then he harvested birds and antelope, and they darted off into the wild. He
the world.
The Great One also plucked lions and other fierce beasts from the reeds. These animals
would travel the lands hunting prey. He also harvested magical creatures. Some were good
and some bad. One was the snake-like goddess of the rivers called Mamlambo. Legend said
she would drown people, eat their faces, and suck out their brains. Another goddess was
Mbaba Mwana Waresa. She was a beautiful woman who created rain and rainbows. She
also invented farming and gave the Zulu the gift of beer.
28
off a reed. Then he sent the chameleon to give humans the following message: Men must
not die. By the words of the Great One, humans would become immortal. Unfortunately, the
chameleon was slow in his journey. The Great One grew impatient. He picked a different
lizard from a reed.
This lizard was fast. He quickly arrived to give word to the humans. But the lizard did not
that day, humans became mortal. It is said that this event made chameleons change color.
They were so ashamed their ancestor was not fast enough to spare humankind the invention
of death.
The Great One was powerful in all he created. Many Zulu suspect he sent the seed to Earth
in the first place. They think that he used it to transform himself into flesh and blood. But
Zulu histories have different versions of the story. All of the Zulu are sure of one thing
though. The Zulu are certain that all life has one common ancestor, including humankind.
Efik: Abassi, God of the Universe

In this origin story of the Nigerian Efik people, the first humans defy the gods to achieve
greater power and wisdom.
Efik: Abassi, God of the Universe (790L)

Compiled by David Baker
In this origin story of the Nigerian Efik people, the first humans defy the gods to achieve
greater power and wisdom.
The Efik people live in southern Nigeria, for many centuries dwelling near the regions around
the Cross River. They traditionally worshipped the god Abassi as a supreme creator. Their
belief system was very relaxed. They had no formal priesthood or organized religious
institutions. Worship and ritual were carried out on an individual or family level. Their
creation story is a tale of humans defying the gods in order to achieve greater power and
wisdom.
Before Abassi there was nothing. Abassi was god of the Universe, and giver of life, death,
and justice. He was so powerful that he could create life, heal the sick, and even raise the
dead. Some say that Abassi was the Sun, and they worshipped it as it rose and set every
day. Abassi lived in the sky with his wife, Atai. She was a wise goddess, who often gave
Abassi good advice.
Abassi created the stars, the Earth, and all the wildlife upon it. He also created two humans,
a man and a woman. These humans lived with Abassi and Atai in the sky. They were very
innocent and had little knowledge. Abassi and Atai looked after them, protected them, and
even fed them, because they did not know how to feed themselves. One day, the humans
were looking down from the sky at the Earth. They decided they wanted to live there. But
29
when they asked Abassi if they could leave the sky and live on the Earth, he forbade it. The
Earth was a place with many secrets where many things could be learned. Abassi feared
that the humans would one day match his wisdom, or even surpass it.
Atai proposed a compromise. The humans could go live on Earth, but they had to return to
the sky every day to have their meals. The humans were forbidden to learn to hunt or farm.
They were also forbidden to marry and have children, because a large nation of people
might one day challenge the power of Abassi.
For a while, this plan worked. The humans returned to the sky every day to take their meals.
However, one day, the woman decided she was sick of being fed like a helpless child. She
went out into the fields and began to farm. When the time came for dinner, she defiantly
refused to return to the sky with the man.
The next day, the man visited the woman in the fields and saw she was growing her own
food. He decided to help her. Before long, the man and woman fell in love. They did not
return to the sky again. Many years went by and they had many children. When those
children were old enough, they joined their parents working in the field. They all continued to
learn the secrets of the Earth and teach them to each other.
The humans tried to hide their children from the sight of Abassi, but the god saw them. He
grew very angry. He blamed his wife, Atai, because she had convinced him to let the
humans live on Earth. Abassi feared that one day, the humans would have learned so much
that they would surpass his wisdom. He also feared they would grow so numerous that they
would surpass his power.
But Atai had a plan. In order to prevent the humans from growing too powerful, she sent evil
into the world in the form of death and discord. The evil was so strong that the man and
woman immediately died. Their children have suffered the ills of the world and argued
among themselves ever since. But because their mother defied the gods, the humans have
continued to learn the secrets of the Earth.

What follows is the origin story of the Efik people of Nigeria. They were the first humans to
defy the gods to achieve greater power and wisdom.
The Efik people live in southern Nigeria. For many centuries they've dwelled near the Cross
River. They traditionally worshipped the god Abassi as a supreme creator. Their belief
system was very relaxed. They had no formal priesthood or organized religious institutions.
Worship and ritual were carried out on an individual or family level. Their creation story is a
tale of humans defying the gods. Their goal was to achieve greater power and wisdom.
Before Abassi there was nothing. Abassi was god of the Universe. He was the giver of life,
death, and justice. He was so powerful that he could create life, heal the sick, and even raise
the dead. Some say that Abassi was the Sun, and they worshipped it as it rose and set
30
every day. Abassi lived in the sky with his wife, Atai. She was a wise goddess, who often
gave Abassi good advice.
innocent and had little knowledge. Abassi and Atai looked after them. They protected the
humans, and even fed them, because they did not know how to feed themselves. One day,
the humans were looking down from the sky at the Earth. They decided they wanted to live
there. But when they asked Abassi if they could leave the sky and live on the Earth, he
forbade it. The Earth was a place with many secrets where many things could be learned.
Abassi feared that the humans would one day match his wisdom, or even surpass it.
Atai proposed a compromise. The humans could go live on Earth. However, they had to
return to the sky every day to have their meals. The humans were forbidden to learn to hunt
or farm. They were also forbidden to marry and have children. Atai worried that if they had
children they would create a large nation of people to challenge the power of Abassi.
went out into the fields and began to farm. When the time came for dinner, she defiantly
The next day, the man visited the woman in the fields and saw she was growing her own
grew very angry. He blamed his wife, Atai. She had been the one who convinced him to let
the humans live on Earth. Abassi feared that one day, the humans would have learned so
much that they would surpass his wisdom. He also feared they would grow so numerous
that they would surpass his power.
into the world. She sent death and caused humans to be in conflict. The evil was so strong
that the man and woman immediately died. Their children have suffered the ills of the world
and argued among themselves ever since. But because their mother defied the gods, the
humans have continued to learn the secrets of the Earth.

What follows is the origin story of the Efik people of Nigeria. They were the first humans to
defy the gods. They did so to achieve greater power and wisdom.
The Efik people live in southern Nigeria. For many centuries they've dwelled near the Cross
River. They worshipped the god Abassi as a supreme creator. Their belief system was very
31
relaxed. They had no formal priesthood or organized religious institutions. Worship and ritual
were carried out on an individual or family level. Their creation story is a tale of humans
defying the gods. Their goal was to achieve greater power and wisdom.
death, and justice. He was so powerful that he could create life, heal the sick, and even raise
the dead. Some say that Abassi was the Sun. So they worshipped it as it rose and set every
day. Abassi lived in the sky with his wife, Atai. She was a wise goddess, who often gave
Abassi good advice.
innocent and had little knowledge. Abassi and Atai looked after them. They protected the
humans. They even fed them, because they did not know how to feed themselves. One day,
the humans were looking down from the sky at the Earth. They decided they wanted to live
there. They asked Abassi if they could leave the sky and live on the Earth. But he forbade it.
The Earth was a place with many secrets where many things could be learned. Abassi
feared that the humans would one day become as wise as him, or even wiser.
Atai proposed a compromise. The humans could go live on Earth. However, they had to
return to the sky every day to have their meals. The humans were forbidden to learn to hunt
or farm. They were also forbidden to marry and have children. Atai worried that if they had
children they would create a large nation of people. With so many people humans could
challenge the power of Abassi.
went out into the fields and began to farm. Then the time came for dinner. This time she
The next day, the man visited the woman in the fields. He saw that she was growing her own
grew very angry. He blamed his wife, Atai. She had been the one who convinced him to let
the humans live on Earth.
into the world. She sent death and caused humans to be in conflict. The man and woman
immediately died. Their children have suffered ever since. Humans continue to argue among
themselves. But because their mother defied the gods, the humans have continued to learn
the secrets of the Earth.
32

This origin story comes from the Efik people of Nigeria. They were the first humans to go
against the rules of the gods. They did so to become more powerful and wiser.
The Efik people live in southern Nigeria. For hundreds of years they've lived near the Cross
River. They worshipped the god Abassi. To them, Abassi was the greatest creator. Their
belief system was very relaxed. They had no priests or temples. Families and individuals
had their own prayers and customs. Their creation story is a tale of humans disobeying the
gods.
death, and justice. He was so powerful that he could create life, and heal the sick. Abassi
could even bring the dead back to life. Some say that Abassi was the Sun. So they
worshipped it as it rose and set every day. Abassi lived in the sky with his wife. Her name
was Atai. She was a wise goddess. Atai often gave Abassi good advice.
Abassi made the stars, the Earth, and all wildlife. He also made two humans, a man and a
woman. These humans lived with Abassi and Atai in the sky. They were very innocent and
knew very little. Abassi and Atai looked after them. They protected the humans. They even
fed them, because they did not know how to feed themselves. One day, the humans were
looking down from the sky at the Earth. They decided they wanted to live there. They asked
Abassi if they could leave the sky and live on the Earth. But Abassi said no. The Earth was a
place with many secrets. Many things could be learned down there. Abassi feared that the
humans would one day become as wise as him, or even wiser.
Atai offered the humans a deal. The humans could go live on Earth. However, they had to
return to the sky every day to eat. The humans were forbidden to learn to hunt or farm. They
were also forbidden to marry and have children. Atai worried that if they had children they
would create a large nation of people. With so many people humans could challenge the
power of Abassi.
For a while, this plan worked. The humans returned to the sky every day to eat. However,
one day, the woman decided she was sick of being fed like a helpless child. She went out
into the fields and began to farm. Then the time came for dinner. This time she refused to
return to the sky with the man.
The next day, the man visited the woman in the fields. He saw that she was growing her own
return to the sky again. Many years went by and they had many children. When their
children grew, they joined their parents working in the field. They all continued to learn the
secrets of the Earth and teach them to each other.
The humans tried to hide their children. But Abassi saw them. He grew very angry. He
blamed his wife, Atai. She had been the one who convinced him to let the humans live on
Earth.
33
But Atai had a plan. To stop the humans from growing too powerful, she sent evil into the
world. She sent death and caused humans to fight with one another. The man and woman
immediately died. Their children have suffered ever since. Humans continue to argue among
themselves. But because their mother disobeyed the gods, the humans have continued to
learn the secrets of the Earth.
34
Cosmology and Faith

Since the beginning of human existence on our planet, most people have asked questions of
a religious nature. For example, what happens to the dead?
Cosmology and Faith (1170L)

By John F. Haught
Human beings have always wondered how things "hang together." Our minds spontaneously
look for connections, and we remain restless until we find them. Nothing is really intelligible
unless we can relate it to other things.
This is why science is such a satisfying adventure. Its mathematical principles tightly unify
everything that goes on in the cosmos. Every occurrence, science tells us, is subject to the
same fundamental physical laws everywhere. You can be sure, for example, that if you travel
to another galaxy in our Big Bang Universe you will find the same laws of physics and
chemistry operative there as on Earth. Although the Universe unfolds in rich diversity, it rests
upon an underlying physical and mathematical simplicity.
Before modern science came along, our ancestors were not aware of the physical
universality that ties all of nature together. Nevertheless, our ancestors were just as
interested in finding connections as we are. The main way in which they brought coherence
to their experience of things and events was to tell stories about them. These stories often
took the form of myths about cosmic, biological, and human origins. Understanding the
origin of things apparently reduces human anxiety in the face of the unknown.
We still need stories. Big History is a good example of the human longing for narrative
coherence. We want to understand, for example, how life is tied into physical processes and
how the history of human beings on Earth is bonded to the natural world that gave birth to
us. Science now allows us to tell a whole new story about our connection to nature.
Remarkably, over the last two centuries, the natural sciences have increasingly
demonstrated that the Universe itself has a history and that human life is a relatively new
chapter in the cosmic story. We did not float in from some other world. We blossomed
gradually from roots that extend all the way back to the Big Bang.
It is enormously satisfying now to be able to tell the story of the emergence of atoms, stars,
planets, cells, organisms, and minds.
What about religion?

Science and history both try to understand how things hang together, but religions do too.
a religious nature. For example, what happens to the dead? Are they somehow still
connected to the world of the living? In his insightful book The Broken Connection,
35
psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton observes that in the scientific age the bonds our ancestors felt
between the living and dead have been weakened or completely broken. Scientifically
educated people now often question the connection that religions professed to find between
our present life and a wider world of sacred mystery.
Nevertheless, many of us still ask religious questions. Why, for example, does anything exist
at all? Why do living beings suffer? What happens when we die? Why do human beings
have a sense of right and wrong? How can we find a meaning for our lives? Can we ever
find final release from concerns over sickness, oppression, isolation, and guilt? Where can
we find perfection? What is really going on in the Universe?
Responses to these religious questions have usually taken the form of myths and other
kinds of narratives. To most religions, the really real world is infinitely larger than the visible
one available to scientific study. Religions try to connect people to this wider world. Ever
since the earliest stories and oral traditions, most people have had an intuition that the world
is large enough to include spirits, gods, and long-departed ancestors. Religions strive to
break through the physical limits that cut human existence off from the mysterious worlds to
which their symbols and stories point. Religions seek to mend the sense of broken
connection that stems from the experience of meaninglessness, guilt, pain, and death.
Major religious traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam still
hold out the hope of salvation from everything that hems us in or holds us down, including
the fact that everything eventually perishes. It is, therefore, not hard to understand why
religions have been so important to most people throughout history and around the globe.
Each of Earths main religious traditions has countless tributaries and offshoots. Religion on
Earth is so complex and diverse that it almost resembles a rain forest. Since religions are so
central to the history of human existence on our planet, they rightly attract the interest of
natural scientists and not just of historians and theologians. Any objective survey of big
history, therefore, cannot ignore the dominant role that religions have played in shaping the
consciousness of most people who have ever lived.
The question of science and faith

In the age of science, however, what are we to make of religions and their sense of a
connection between our present existence and a larger, scientifically unavailable life or
world? Hasnt science made religious symbols, narratives, and teachings unbelievable?
For the sake of simplicity, as we address these questions let us refer to the whole body of
religious hopes, stories, doctrines, speculation, prayers, and rituals as faith. More
fascinating questions arise for your consideration:
Can human minds shaped by faith traditions that stem from a prescientific era honestly take
modern science seriously? Or, if you develop a sense of big history, can you still honestly
accept the teachings of your faith tradition if you have one? Does belief in God, for example,
contradict science, as many educated people now maintain? Isnt it hard to be both a serious
scientist and a person of faith? Or is there a way of making a plausible connection between
science and faith?
36
Even though it is not my task to answer such questions, it is appropriate at least to take note
of their existence, especially since humans and their religious instincts are as much a part of
nature as rocks and rivers. What does it say about the Universe that it has recently given
birth to conscious beings who want to connect their lives to worlds that science cannot see?
Many scientists, philosophers, and other skeptics wish that religious faith would just go away
so that only science would remain to fill our minds and aspirations. Others, however, think
that scientific discoveries, including our new sense of cosmic history, still raise questions that
science alone is powerless to address. For example, why does the Universe exist in the first
place? Is anything of lasting significance working itself out in the 13.8-billion-year-old cosmic
story? Is there any point to it all? What are we supposed to be doing with our lives if we are
a part of a Universe that is still coming into being? Is there any solid reason for hope in the
future?
There are at least three main ways of responding to questions that science raises for people
of faith.
Conflict: The natural sciences and religious faith are incompatible.
Contrast: Science and faith are each concerned with different kinds of questions.
Convergence: Science and faith inevitably interact.
Shape your own answers, make your own connections, and find your own way of
understanding the beginning and how things hang together. For most people, these are
questions that will not just slip quietly away.

By John F. Haught, adapted by Newsela
Human beings have always wondered how things "hang together." Our minds can't help but
look for connections, and we remain restless until we find them. Nothing really makes sense
unless we can relate it to other things.
This is why science is such a satisfying adventure. Its mathematical principles bring together
everything that goes on in the cosmos. Every occurrence, science tells us, must obey the
same fundamental physical laws everywhere. You can be sure, for example, that if you travel
to another galaxy in our Universe you will find the same laws of physics and chemistry work
there as on Earth. Although the Universe unfolds in rich diversity, it rests upon the same
simple physical and mathematical principles.
Before modern science came along, our ancestors were not aware of the physical truths that
tie all of nature together. Nevertheless, our ancestors were just as interested in finding
connections as we are. The main way in which they made sense of their experience of
things and events was to tell stories about them. These stories often took the form of myths
about cosmic, biological and human origins. Understanding the origin of things apparently
reduces human anxiety in the face of the unknown.
37
We still need stories. Big History is a good example of the human longing for stories that
hold our experiences together. We want to understand, for example, how the history of
human beings on Earth is bonded to the natural world that gave birth to us. Science now
allows us to tell a whole new story about our connection to nature. Remarkably, over the last
two centuries, the natural sciences have shown more and more that the Universe itself has a
history. Human life is just a relatively new chapter in the cosmic story. We did not float in
from some other world. We blossomed gradually from roots that extend all the way back to
the Big Bang.
It is enormously satisfying now to be able to tell the story of how atoms, stars, planets, cells,
organisms, and minds first came into existence.

Science and history both try to understand how things hang together, but religions do too.
a religious nature. For example, what happens to the dead? Are they somehow still
connected to the world of the living? In his book The Broken Connection, psychiatrist Robert
Jay Lifton observes that in the scientific age, the bonds our ancestors felt between the living
and dead have been weakened or completely broken. Scientifically educated people now
often question the connection that religions proclaimed to find between our present life and
the world of sacred mystery.
have a sense of right and wrong? How can we find a meaning for our lives? What is really
going on in the Universe?
kinds of narratives. To most religions the really real world is infinitely larger than the visible
one available to scientific study. Religions try to connect people to this wider world. Ever
since the earliest stories and oral traditions, most people have had a feeling that the world
includes spirits, gods, and long-departed ancestors. Religions try to bridge human existence
to the mysterious worlds to which their symbols and stories point. Religions seek to mend
the sense of loss that stems from guilt, pain, and death.
Large portions of the planet follow the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. These still hold out the hope of salvation from everything that holds
us down, including the fact that everything eventually dies. It is, therefore, not hard to
understand why religions have been so important to people throughout history.
Each of Earths main religions has countless offshoots. Religion on Earth is so complex and
varied that it almost resembles a rain forest. Since religions are so central to the history of
human existence on our planet, they rightly attract the interest of natural scientists and not
just of historians and religious scholars. Religions have played a powerful role in shaping the
consciousness of most people who have ever lived. Any fair examination of big history,
therefore, cannot ignore that.
38

In the age of science, however, what are we to make of religions? And what are we to make
of their sense of a connection between our existence and a world that can't be analyzed
through science? Hasnt science made religious symbols, narratives, and teachings hard to
believe?
For the sake of simplicity, as we address these questions, let us refer to the whole body of
religious beliefs as faith. This includes all its hopes, stories, teachings, speculation,
prayers, and rituals. More fascinating questions arise for your consideration:
Can human minds shaped by faith that stems from a prescientific era honestly take modern
science seriously? Or, if you develop a sense of big history, can you still honestly accept the
teachings of your faith if you have one? Does belief in God, for example, contradict science,
as many educated people now argue? Isnt it hard to be both a serious scientist and a
person of faith? Or is there a way of making a reasonable connection between science and
faith?
Humans and their religious instincts are as much a part of nature as rocks and rivers. Even
though it is not my task to answer the question of religion, it is appropriate at least to take
note of its existence. It raises questions about humanity. What does it say about the
Universe that it has given birth to thinking creatures who want to connect their lives to worlds
that science cannot see?
Many scientists, philosophers, and other skeptics wish that religious faith would just go
away. They'd prefer that only science would remain to fill our minds and hopes. Others,
however, think that scientific discoveries, including our new sense of cosmic history, still
raise questions that science alone is powerless to address. For example, why does the
Universe exist in the first place? Is there any point to it all? What are we supposed to be
doing with our lives if we are a part of a Universe that is still coming into being? Is there any
solid reason for hope in the future?
of faith.
Conflict: The natural sciences and religious faith are incompatible
Contrast: Science and faith are each concerned with different kinds of questions
Convergence: Science and faith inevitably interact
Shape your own answers, make your own connections, and find your own way of

39
Human beings have always wondered how things "hang together." Our minds can't help but
look for connections, and we remain restless until we find them. Nothing is really
understandable unless we can relate it to other things.
This is why science is so satisfying. Its mathematical principles bring together everything
that goes on in the cosmos. Every occurrence, science tells us, must obey the basic laws of
physics. It makes no difference where they happen. If you could travel to another galaxy in
our Universe you would find that the same laws of physics and chemistry work there as on
Earth. The Universe is complex and varied, yet it follows the same simple scientific
principles.
Before modern science came along, our ancestors were not aware of the physical truths that
tie all of nature together. Nevertheless, our ancestors were just as interested in finding
connections as we are. The main way in which they made sense of their experience of
things and events was to tell stories about them. These stories often took the form of myths
about cosmic, biological, and human origins. Understanding the origin of things helped
reduce fear of the unknown.
We still need stories. Big History is a good example of the human longing for stories that
hold our experiences together. We want to understand, for example, how the history of
human beings on Earth is bonded to the natural world that gave birth to us. Science now
allows us to tell a whole new story about our connection to nature. Remarkably, over the last
two centuries, the natural sciences have increasingly demonstrated that the Universe itself
has a history. Human life is just a relatively new chapter in the cosmic story. We did not float
in from some other world. We blossomed gradually from roots that extend all the way back
to the Big Bang.
It is enormously satisfying now to be able to tell the story of how atoms, stars, planets, cells,
organisms, and minds all came to be.

Science and history both try to understand how things hang together. Religions do as well.
Since humans first appeared on Earth, most people have asked questions of a religious
nature. For example, what happens to the dead? Are they somehow still connected to the
world of the living? The book The Broken Connection, by psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton,
observes that science has weakened the bonds that our ancestors felt between the living
and dead. In some cases, they've been completely broken. Scientifically educated people
now often question the connection that religions proclaimed to find between our present life
and the wider spiritual world.
have a sense of right and wrong? How can we find a meaning for our lives? Can we ever
find a true release from sickness, suffering, isolation, and guilt? Where can we find
perfection? What is really going on in the Universe?
40
stories. To most religions, the really real world is dwarfed by the visible one that can be
studied by scientists. Religions try to connect people to this wider world. Ever since the
earliest stories told around a fire, most people have had a feeling that the world includes
spirits, gods, and long-departed ancestors. Religions strive to bridge the human existence to
these mysterious worlds. Religions seek to mend the sense of loss that comes from
meaninglessness, guilt, pain, and death.
Large portions of the planet follow the religions Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. These religions still hold out the hope that we can be saved from what holds us
down. They each have answers to the toughest human reality: that everything eventually
dies. It is, therefore, not hard to understand why religions have been so important to people
throughout history.
Each of Earths main religious traditions has countless offshoots. Religions are central to the
history of human existence on our planet. It makes sense that they interest scientists and not
just historians and religious scholars. Religions have played a powerful role in shaping the
awareness of most people who have ever lived. Any survey of big history, therefore, cannot
ignore that.

In the age of science, however, what are we to make of religions? What should we think
about the connection they draw between our existence and a world that can't be scientifically
analyzed? Hasnt science made religious symbols, narratives, and teachings hard to accept?
For simplicity's sake, we'll refer to all a religion's hopes, stories, teachings, wondering,
prayers and ceremonies as "faith." The traditions of faith come from a time before humans
discovered science. Can human minds shaped by faith honestly take modern science
seriously? Or, if you develop a sense of big history, can you still honestly accept the
teachings of a faith? Does belief in God, for example, go against science, as many educated
people now argue? Isnt it hard to be both a serious scientist and a person of faith? Or is
there a way of making a connection between science and faith?
Humans and their religious instincts are as much a part of nature as rocks and rivers. It is
not my task to answer the question of religion. However, it is appropriate at least to take note
of its existence. It raises questions about humanity. What does it say about the Universe that
it has given birth to fully aware beings who want to connect their lives to worlds that science
cannot see?
Many scientists, philosophers, and skeptics wish that religious faith would just go away.
They'd prefer that only science would remain to fill our minds and hopes. Others, however,
think that scientific discoveries still raise questions that science alone is powerless to
address. For example, why does the Universe exist in the first place? What is the point of
the 13.8-billion-year-old cosmic story? What are we supposed to be doing with our lives if we
are a part of a Universe that is still coming into being? Is there any solid reason for hope in
the future?
41
of faith.
Conflict: The natural sciences and religious faith are incompatible
Contrast: Science and faith are each concerned with different kinds of questions
Convergence: Science and faith inevitably interact
Shape your own answers. Make your own connections and find your own way of

Human beings have always wondered how things "hang together." Our minds naturally look
for connections. We remain restless until we find them. Nothing really makes sense unless
we can relate it to other things.
This is why science is so satisfying. Its principles bring together everything that goes on in
the cosmos. Every event must obey the same physical laws everywhere. If you could travel
to another galaxy in our Universe, you would find that the same laws of physics and
chemistry work there as on Earth. The Universe is complex. It's different from place to place.
Yet, it's all based on the same rules of science.
Our ancestors were just as interested in finding connections as we are. The main way in
which they made sense of their experiences was to tell stories about them. These stories
were often told as myths about from where we came. Understanding the origin of things
helped make the unknown less scary.
We still need stories. Big History is a good example of the human longing for stories. Like
creation stories, it holds our experiences together. We want to understand, for example, how
the history of human beings is bonded to nature. Science now allows us to tell a whole new
story about our connection to nature. Remarkably, over the last two centuries, science has
shown that the Universe itself has a history. Human life is just a relatively new chapter in the
cosmic story. We did not float in from some other world. We grew from roots that extend all
the way back to the Big Bang.
It is very satisfying now to be able to tell this story. Science is the story of how atoms, stars,
planets, cells, organisms, and minds all came to be.

Science and history both try to understand how things hang together. Religions do as well.
Since the beginning of human existence, most people have asked religious questions. For
example, what happens to the dead? Are they still connected to the world of the living?
42
In the book The Broken Connection, author Robert Jay Lifton discusses the bonds our
ancestors felt between the living and dead. He observes that science has weakened those
bonds. In some cases, they've been completely broken. Religions make a connection
between our present life and a wider world of sacred mystery. Yet people who have studied
science now often question that connection.
have a sense of right and wrong? How can we find a meaning for our lives? What is really
going on in the Universe?
These religious questions have usually been explained by myths and stories. To most
religions, the really real world is infinite. It dwarfs the world studied by scientists. Religions
try to connect people to this wider world. Ever since early times, most people have believed
that the world includes spirits, gods, and long-departed ancestors. Religions strive to break
through the physical limits that cut human existence off from these mysterious worlds.
Religions seek to overcome feelings of meaninglessness, pain, and death.
Most people on Earth follow the religions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam. These religions still promise to save us from everything that holds us down. They
each have answers to the toughest human realities. And the toughest may be that
everything eventually dies. It is easy to understand why religions have been so important to
people throughout history.
Religions are central to the history of human existence on our planet. As such, they rightly
attract the interest of scientists. Religions have shaped the consciousness of most people
who have ever lived. Any summary of big history, therefore, cannot ignore that.

In the age of science, however, what are we to make of religions? Hasnt science made
religion hard to believe in?
For the sake of simplicity, let us refer to everything religious as faith. This includes all
religion's hopes, stories, prayers, and ceremonies.
The traditions of faith come from a time before science. Can human minds shaped by faith
honestly take science seriously? Or, if you develop a sense of big history, can you still
honestly accept religion? Does belief in God, for example, go against science? Isnt it hard to
be both a scientist and a person of faith? Or can there be a connection between science and
faith?
It is not my job to answer that question. However, it is appropriate to take note of it. It raises
questions about what it means to be human. Why has the Universe given birth to humans
who want to connect their lives to worlds that science cannot see?
Many scientists wish that religious faith would just go away. They'd prefer that only science
would remain to fill our minds. Others, however, think that scientific discoveries raise
questions that science alone cannot answer. For example, why does the Universe exist in
43
the first place? What is the point of the 13.8-billion-year-old cosmic story? What are we
supposed to be doing with our lives? Is there any reason for hope in the future?
Here are three ways that science could be understood by people of faith.
Conflict: Science and religious faith are incompatible
Contrast: Science and faith answer different kinds of questions
Convergence: Science and faith can work with each other
Shape your own answers. Make your own connections. Find your own way of understanding
the beginning and how things hang together. For most people, these are questions that will
not just slip quietly away.
44
Complexity and Thresholds

What does complexity mean, and why is it so important? What role has complexity played in
getting us to the world we live in today?
Complexity and Thresholds (900L)

By David Christian
One of the central themes of this course is the idea of increasing complexity. In the 13.8
billion years since our Universe appeared, more and more complex things seem to have
appeared and were among the most complex of them all. So its natural for complex
things to fascinate us. Besides, modern human society is so complex that learning how the
Universe creates complexity can also teach us something about todays world. But we
shouldnt assume theres anything special about complexity or that complex things are
necessarily any better than simple things. Remember that complexity can present
challenges.
What does complexity mean?

Thats a tough question and theres no universally accepted answer. We may feel intuitively
that empty space is much simpler than a star, or that a human being is in some sense more
complex than an amoeba. But what does that really mean? Here are some ideas that may
help you think about complexity during this course.
A continuum from simple to complex

Complexity is a quality, like hot or cold. Things can be more or less simple and more or
less complex. At one end is utmost simplicity, like the cold emptiness of intergalactic space.
At the other extreme is the complexity of a modern city.
The qualities of more complex things

Here are three qualities that make some things more complex than others.
Diverse ingredients: More complex things often have more bits and pieces, and
those bits and pieces are more varied.
Precise arrangement: In simpler things it doesnt matter too much how the
ingredients are arranged, but in complex things the bits and pieces are arranged
quite precisely. Think of the difference between a car and all the bits and pieces of
that car after its been scrapped and is lying in a junkyard.
45
Emergent properties: Once the ingredients are arranged correctly, they can do
things that they couldnt do when they werent organized. A car can get you around;
its component parts cannot. A cars capacity to be driven is a quality that emerges
once its been assembled correctly, which is why its called an emergent property.
Complexity is fragile
Theres another important thing to remember about complexity. Complex things need just
the right ingredients and they need to be assembled in just the right way. So, complex things
are usually more fragile than simple things. And that means that after a time, they fall apart.
If they are living creatures, we say they die. Death, or breakdown, seems to be the fate of
all complex things, though it may take billions of years for a star to break down, and just a
day or two for a mayfly to die.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Creating complex things is more difficult than creating simple things. The natural tendency of
the Universe seems to be for things to get less and less organized. Think of your own house
if you just let it be for a month. Tidying your room means arranging everything in just the
right way; it takes work. But if you dont care how its arranged you can just let it un-tidy itself
naturally. The idea that the Universe tends naturally to get less ordered and less complex is
expressed in one of the most fundamental of all the laws of physics: the Second Law of
Thermodynamics. Thats one way of explaining why making complex things requires more
work, and thus more energy, than making simple things.
Why complexity is rarer than simplicity

The Second Law of Thermodynamics explains why most of the Universe is simple.
Intergalactic space is almost completely empty, extremely cold, and randomly organized.
Complexity is concentrated in just in a few places: inside galaxies and particularly around
stars.
Goldilocks Conditions
You find complex things only where the conditions are just right for making them, where
there are just the right environments, just the right ingredients, and just the right energy
flows. We call these conditions Goldilocks Conditions. Remember the childrens story of
the three bears? Goldilocks enters their house when they are out. She tastes their porridge
and finds that the father bears is too hot, the mother bears is too cold, but the baby bears
is just right. Complexity seems to appear only where the conditions are just right. So
whenever we see complex things appearing, we can ask why the Goldilocks Conditions
were just right.
Heres an example. You always need energy. So if theres no energy flowing, its hard to
build complexity. Think of a still, calm lake thats been dammed. Not much is happening.
Then imagine opening the gates of the dam and allowing the water to flow downhill. Now
46
you have energy flowing enough to drive a turbine that can create the electricity to power
a computer. Now more complex things can happen.
But of course there mustnt be too much energy. If theres too much water pressure then the
turbine will be destroyed. So you need just the right amount of energy not too little, not
too much.
Thresholds of increasing complexity

In this course, we will focus on moments when more complex things seemed to appear,
things with new emergent properties. We call these threshold moments. Examples include
the appearance of the first stars in a Universe that had no stars, and the appearance of the
first cities in societies that had never known cities before.
Each time we cross one of these thresholds well ask about the ingredients and the
Goldilocks Conditions. And well also ask what was new. What emergent properties do these
new complex things have?
There are many such turning points in Big History, but in this course we will focus mainly on
eight threshold moments. Some thresholds took place at a very specific point in time, while
others were more gradual and we can only approximate the turning point. If this were an
astronomy course or a biology course, our choice of thresholds would undoubtedly be
different. In fact, during this course we will see many important turning points that we
could, perhaps, describe as thresholds.

By David Christian, adapted by Newsela
One of the central themes of this course is the idea of increasing complexity. Our Universe
first appeared 13.8 billion years ago and since then, more and more complex things seem to
have appeared. Human beings are among the most complex of them all. So its natural for
complex things to fascinate us. Besides, today's world is so complex that learning how the
Universe creates complexity can also teach us something about the way we live now. But we
shouldnt assume theres anything special about complexity. Nor should we think that
complex things are necessarily any better than simple things. Remember that with
complexity comes challenges.

Thats a tough question and theres no single answer. We may have a gut feeling that empty
space is much simpler than a star, or that a human being is in some sense more complex
than a single-cell amoeba. But what does that really mean? Here are some ideas that may
help you think about complexity during this course.
47
A long range from simple to complex

less complex. At one end is pure simplicity. Think of the cold emptiness of the space in
between galaxies. At the other extreme is the complexity of a modern city.

Different types of ingredients: More complex things often have more bits and
pieces, and those bits and pieces are more varied from one another.
Exact arrangement: In simpler things it doesnt matter too much how the ingredients
are arranged, but in complex things the bits and pieces are arranged in quite an
exact order. Think of the difference between a car and all the bits and pieces of that
car after its been scrapped and is lying in a junkyard.
things that they couldnt do when they werent organized. A car can get you around.
But the parts that make up a car cannot. A cars ability to move around is a quality
that emerges once its been assembled correctly, which is why its called an
emergent property.
the right ingredients and they need to be assembled in just the right way. So, complex things
are usually more fragile than simple things. And that means that after a time, they fall apart.
If they are living creatures, we say they die. Death, or breakdown, seems to be the fate of
all complex things. However, it may take billions of years for a star to break down, and just a
day or two for a mayfly to die.

Creating complex things is more difficult than creating simple things. The Universe seems to
naturally let things get less and less organized. Think of your own house if you just let it be
for a month. Tidying your room means arranging everything in just the right way; it takes
work. But if you dont care how its arranged you can just let it un-tidy itself naturally. The
idea that the Universe tends naturally to get less ordered and less complex is one of the
most basic and important laws of physics. It's called the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Thats one way of explaining why making complex things requires more work than making
simple things. It also explains why it takes more energy.
48

The Second Law of Thermodynamics explains why most of the Universe is simple. The
space in between galaxies, called intergalactic space, is almost completely empty. It's
extremely cold and randomly organized. Complexity is concentrated just in a few places:
inside galaxies and particularly around stars.
You find complex things only where the conditions are just right for making them. It requires
just the right environments, just the right ingredients, and just the right energy flows. We call
these conditions Goldilocks Conditions. Remember the childrens story of the three bears?
Goldilocks enters their house when they are out. She tastes their porridge and finds that the
father bears is too hot, the mother bears is too cold, but the baby bears is just right.
Complexity seems to appear only where the conditions are just right. So whenever we see
complex things appearing we can ask why the Goldilocks Conditions were just right.
you have energy flowing enough to drive a turbine that can create the electricity to power
a computer. Now more complex things can happen.
turbine will be destroyed. So you need just the right amount of energy not too little, not
too much.

In this course, we will focus on moments when more complex things seemed to appear.
These things come with new emergent properties. We call these threshold moments. The
appearance of the first stars in a Universe that had no stars is one example of a threshold
moment. The appearance of the first cities in societies that had never known cities before is
another such moment.
There are many such turning points in Big History, but in this course we will focus mainly on
eight threshold moments. Some thresholds took place at a very specific point in time. Other
thresholds were more gradual and we can only make a rough estimate of the turning point. If
this were an astronomy course or a biology course, our choice of thresholds would certainly
be different. In fact, during this course we will see many important turning points that we
could, perhaps, describe as thresholds.
49

By David Christian, adapted by Newsela
Our Universe first appeared 13.8 billion years ago. The things that existed were quite simple
at first. Since then, more and more complex things seem to have appeared. Human beings
are one of the most complex things of all. So its natural that we're very curious about
complex things. Learning how the Universe creates complex things can also teach us
something about the way we live now. But just because something is complex doesn't
always mean it's any better than simple things. Remember, complex things face challenges.

Thats a tough question. Theres no single answer. Empty space is much simpler than a star.
A human being is in some sense more complex than an amoeba, which is made of just one
cell. But what does that really mean? Here are some ideas that may help you think about
complexity during this course.
A long range from simple to complex

less complex. Imagine a range. At one end is pure simplicity. One example is the space in
between galaxies, where there's nothing but cold emptiness. At the other end of the range is
something very complex like a modern city.

Different types of ingredients: More complex things often have more bits and
pieces. And those bits and pieces don't tend to be alike.
Exact arrangement: In simpler things it doesnt matter too much how the ingredients
are arranged. Complex things, however, need their the bits and pieces arranged just
right. Picture a car on the road. Now imagine that same car after its been taken apart
in a junkyard. There's quite a difference.
things that they couldnt do when they werent arranged. A car can get you around.
But the parts that make up a car cannot. A cars ability to move around is a quality
that emerges or comes about once its put together right.
the right ingredients and they need to be put together in just the right way. So, complex
things are usually more fragile than simple things. And that means that after a time, they fall
apart. If they are living creatures, we say they die. Death, or breakdown, seems to be the
50
fate of all complex things. However, it may take billions of years for a star to break down,
and just a day or two for a mayfly to die.

Creating complex things is more difficult than creating simple things. The Universe seems to
naturally let things get less and less organized. Think of your own house if you just let it be
for a month. Tidying your room takes work. But if you dont care how its arranged you can
just let it un-tidy itself naturally. The Universe tends naturally to get less ordered and less
complex. That idea is one of the most basic and important laws of physics, the science of
matter and energy. It's called the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Thats one way of
explaining why making complex things takes more work than making simple things. It also
explains why it takes more energy.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics explains why most of the Universe is simple. The
space in between galaxies, called intergalactic space, is almost completely empty. It's
extremely cold and has no particular order. All the complexity is found in just in a few places:
inside galaxies and particularly around stars.
You find complex things only where the conditions are just right for making them. It must be
the right environment, with just the right ingredients, and just the right energy flows. We call
these conditions Goldilocks Conditions. Remember the story of the three bears? Goldilocks
enters their house when they are out. She tastes their porridge and finds that the father
bears is too hot, the mother bears is too cold, but the baby bears is just right. Complexity
seems to happen only where the conditions are just right. So whenever we see complex
things appearing we can ask why the Goldilocks Conditions were just right.
you can run a power plant to make electricity. Now, more complex things can happen.
power plant will be destroyed. So you need just the right amount of energy not too little,
not too much.

This course will focus on moments when more complex things seemed to appear. We call
these threshold moments. The appearance of the first stars in a Universe that had no stars
is one example of a threshold moment. The appearance of the first cities in societies that
had never known cities before is another such moment.
51
We will focus mainly on eight threshold moments. Some thresholds took place suddenly.
Other thresholds happened over time. For those, we can only make a rough estimate of the
turning point. During this course we will see many important turning points that we could,
perhaps, describe as thresholds.
52
How Did We Find the Distance to the Sun?

By Morgan Rehnberg
How far is the Sun? It seems as if one could hardly ask a more straightforward question. Yet
this very inquiry bedeviled astronomers for more than two thousand years.
Certainly its a question of nearly unrivaled importance, overshadowed in history perhaps
only by the search for the size and mass of the Earth. Known today as the astronomical unit,
the distance serves as our reference within the solar system and the baseline for measuring
all distances in the Universe.
Thinkers in Ancient Greece were among the first to try and construct a comprehensive
model of the cosmos. With nothing but naked-eye observations, a few things could be
worked out. The Moon loomed large in the sky so it was probably pretty close. Solar eclipses
revealed that the Moon and Sun were almost exactly the same angular size, but the Sun
was so much brighter that perhaps it was larger but farther away (this coincidence regarding
the apparent size of the Sun and Moon has been of almost indescribable importance in
advancing astronomy). The rest of the planets appeared no larger than the stars, yet
seemed to move more rapidly; they were likely at some inter- mediate distance. But, could
we do any better than these vague descriptions? With the invention of geometry, the answer
became a resounding yes.
The first distance to be measured with any accuracy was that of the Moon. In the middle of
the 2nd century BCE, Greek astronomer Hipparchus pioneered the use of a method known
as parallax. The idea of parallax is simple: when objects are observed from two different
angles, closer objects appear to shift more than do farther ones.
You can demonstrate this easily for yourself by holding a finger at arms length and closing
one eye and then the other. Notice how your finger moves more than things in the
background? Thats parallax! By observing the Moon from two cities a known distance apart,
Hipparchus used a little geometry to compute its distance to within 7% of todays modern
value not bad!
With the distance to the Moon known, the stage was set for another Greek astronomer,
Aristarchus, to take the first stab at determining the Earths distance from the Sun.
53
Aristarchus realized that when the Moon was exactly half illuminated, it formed a right
triangle with the Earth and the Sun. Now knowing the distance between the Earth and the
Moon, all he needed was the angle between the Moon and Sun at this moment to compute
the distance of the Sun itself. It was brilliant reasoning undermined by insufficient
observations. With nothing but his eyes to go on, Aristarchus estimated this angle to be 87
degrees, not terribly far from the true value of 89.83 degrees. But when the distances
involved are enormous, small errors can be quickly magnified. His result was off by a factor
of more than a thousand.
Over the next two thousand years, better observations applied to Aristarchus method would
bring us within 3 or 4 times the true value. So how could we improve this further? There was
still only one method of directly measuring distance and that was parallax. But, finding the
parallax of the Sun was far more challenging than that of the Moon. After all, the Sun is
essentially featureless and its incredible brightness obliterates any view we might have of
the stars that lurk behind. What could we do?
By the eighteenth century, however, our understanding of the world had progressed
substantially. The field of physics was now in its infancy and it provided a critical clue.
Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton had shown that the distances between the planets were
all related; find one and you would know them all. But would any be easier to find than the
Earths? It turns out that the answer is yes. Sometimes. If youre lucky.
The key is the transit of Venus. During a transit, the planet crosses in front of the Sun as
seen from Earth. From different locations, Venus will appear to cross larger or smaller parts
of the Sun. By timing how long these crossings take, James Gregory and Edmond Halley
realized that the distance to Venus (and hence the Sun) could be deter- mined. Nows the
time when Id usually say something like: Seems pretty straightforward, right? Theres only
one catch But perhaps thats never been more untrue. The odds were so stacked against
success that its truly a testament to the importance of this measurement that anyone even
attempted it.
First off, transits of Venus are extremely rare. Like once-in-a-lifetime rare (although they do
come in pairs). By the time Halley realized that this method would work, he knew that he
was too old to have a chance to complete it himself. So, in hope that a future generation
would undertake the task, he wrote out specific instructions on how the observations must
be carried out. In order for the end result to have the desired accuracy, the timing of the
transit needed to be measured down to the second. In order to have a large separation in
distance, the observing sites would need to be located at the far reaches of the Earth. And,
in order to ensure that cloudy weather didnt ruin the chance of success, observers would be
54
needed at locations all over the globe. Talk about a big undertaking in an era when
transcontinental travel could take years.
Despite these challenges, astronomers in France and England resolved that they would
collect the necessary data during the 1761 transit. By that time, however, the situation was
even worse: England and France were embroiled in the Seven Years War. Travel by sea
was nearly impossible. Nevertheless, the effort persisted. Although not all observers were successful (clouds blocked some, warships others), when combined with data
collected during another transit eight years later, the undertaking had been a success.
French astronomer Jerome Lalande collected all the data and computed the first accurate
distance to the Sun: 153 million kilometers, good to within three percent of the true value!
A brief aside: the number were talking about here is called the Earths semi-major axis,
meaning that its the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. Because the Earths
orbit isnt perfectly round, we actually get about 3% closer and farther throughout the course
of a year. Also, like many numbers in modern science, the formal definition of the
astronomical unit has been altered a bit. As of 2012, 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 meters
exactly, regardless of whether we find the Earths semi-major axis is slightly different in the
future.
Since the groundbreaking observations made during the transit of Venus, weve re- fined our
knowledge of the Earth-Sun distance tremendously. Weve also used it to unlock an
understanding of the vastness of the Universe. Once we knew how large the Earths orbit
was, we could use parallax to measure the distance to other stars by making observations
spaced out by six months (when the Earth has travelled to the other side of the Sun, a
distance of 2 AU!). This revealed a cosmos that stretched on unendingly and would
eventually lead to the discovery that our universe is billions of years old. Not bad for asking a
straightforward question!
55

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UNIT 1WHAT IS BIG HISTORY?

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An Introduction to Origin Stories (1050L)

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Genesis: The Judeo-Christian Origin Story

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