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acetaldehyde, 168
acetylcholine, 187
Adams, John, 71
Adams, John Quincy, 71
addictions, 2, 124, 165, 173–4
alcohol, 169
nicotine, 169, 187–8, 189, 191, 192, 194
opium, 199–204
adenosine, 180
Africa
Bantu Expansion, 136–40
Scramble for (c. 1881–c. 1914), 95–9
slavery, effects of, 156–9
African National Congress, 265
agave, 240
Age of Sail (c. 1571– c. 1865), 9, 217, 219, 222, 223, 234, 236
aggression, 12–16
agnatic succession, 62
birth rates and, 135–6
civilisation development and, 16–17, 45
deficiency diseases and, 221
disease and, 74–5, 100–102, 113–14, 115, 119
drug crops, 166, 177–9, 190–92, 196
famines and, 135
land ownership, 45
population expansion and, 136–40
AirBnB, 37
Alaska, 121
Albert, Prince Consort, 208
albinism, 206
Alexandra, Empress consort of Russia, 210–17
Alexei, Tsarevich of Russia, 211–17
Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, 209–10, 216
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, 209–10
Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt, 208, 210
alkaloids, 194–6
allergic reactions, 273
aloe, 240
alpha males, 13–14
Alsace-Lorraine, 147
altitude, 4
altruism, 18–32
altruistic punishment, 27–30, 33
Amazon region, 165
American Colonies (1606–1783), 82–6, 119, 158, 160
convicts, transportation of, 160
Revolution (1765–83), 82–6, 160, 179, 232, 233
scurvy in, 231
Tea Act (1773), 179–80
tobacco in, 188–92
Amritsar massacre (1919), 130
anchoring effect, 244
ankle joint, 2
Anson’s Voyage Round the World (Walter), 205
ant colonies, 8
Antarctica, 175
antelope, 18
antibiotics, 271
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
Art of War, The (Sun Tzu), 142
arthritis, 75
asthma, 273
Athens, 104
Augustus, Roman Emperor, 57
Australia, 94, 120, 149, 160–62
Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867–1918), 54, 149
Austronesian languages, 139
autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 244n
availability bias, 244
ayahuasca, 165
Aztec Empire (1428–1521), 116, 122
baboons, 21
Babylonian Empire (1894–539 BC), 35, 36
balance of sexes, 9
Bangladesh, 90n
banker’s paradox, 23
Bantu Expansion, 136–40
Barbados, 171
Barings bank, 71
de Barros, João, 73
base-ten numerical system, 6
basketball, 246
Battle of Agincourt (1415), 141
Battle of Balaclava (1854), 249–55
Battle of Camden (1780), 85
Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805), 233
Battle of Marathon (490 BC), 141
Battle of Plassey (1757), 200
Battle of Saratoga (1777), 83
Battle of Trafalgar (1805), 233
Battle of Yorktown (1781), 85
Beatrice, Princess, 209
beer, 166–7
bees, 181
Belarus, 265
bell curves, 256
Berbera, Somalia, 98
Berlin Conference (1884–5), 98
Bermuda, 190
Berry, Halle, 1
beta-carotene, 237
Bin Laden, Osama, 261
birds, 21
birth rates, 133, 135, 142, 147–56
von Bismarck, Otto, 98
black cabs, 37
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
Blackfoot tribe, 184
blood type O, 90n
Boer War (1899–1902), 103
Bohemia, 52
Bolshevik Revolution (1917), 9, 127, 154, 216–17
boom and bust cycles, 7
Boston Tea Party (1773), 180
Bourbon dynasty (1272–), 50, 207, 209–10, 235
brain, 243
alcohol and, 167–74
cognitive biases, 238–68
Dunbar’s number, 29
heuristics, 245–8
opium and, 173
processing systems, 247–8
theory of mind, 248
brandy, 170
Brest, France, 232
African colonies, 97–9
alcohol in, 171
American colonies (1606–1783), see American colonies
Boer War (1899–1902), 103
Caribbean colonies, 84, 171, 179, 182, 191, 193, 223, 229, 231
Crimean War (1853–6), 9, 102–3, 249–55
Darien Scheme (1698–1700), 76–81
Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), 87
Indian colonies, 84, 97–8, 128–31
Opium War, First (1839–42), 201–3
Opium War, Second (1856–60), 203
Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), 83
slavery in, 158, 179, 182, 193, 227
tobacco in, 188–92
War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–48), 223
broad beans, 88n
bronze, 17
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 199
bubonic plague, 74
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
Plague of Justinian (541–549), 106–9
Buddhism, 178
Burma, 118
Bush, George Herbert Walker, 71
Byron, George Gordon, 6th Baron, 199
Byzantine Empire (395–1453), 63, 106–9
Cádiz, Spain, 232–3
Caesar (title), 46n
Caffa, Crimea, 110
caffeine, 9, 43, 164, 174–83, 196
calcium, 237
camels, 5
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 119
Capitol building, Washington DC, 193
Cardigan, James Brudenell, 7th Earl, 251–3
Caribbean
coffee plantations in, 177, 180
Columbus in, 86, 116, 185–8, 238–41
diseases in, 77, 79, 84, 86–93, 116, 118, 123
Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), 86–93, 177–8
Royal Navy and, 231
rum in, 171
sugar plantations in, 179, 182, 198
Carolingian dynasty (613–1120), 50, 51n, 58–9
cassava, 166
Catholic church, 20n, 60, 143–4
cattle, 101
Charge of the Light Brigade (1854), 9, 249–55
Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor, 50, 51n
Charles I, Austro-Hungarian Emperor, 54
Charles II, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, 176
Charles II, King of Spain, 66, 68–70, 68
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 51, 52, 53, 67, 123
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, 70n
Chelsea Pensioners, 160
chicken pox, 101
children
biparental investment, 134, 154, 162
birth of, 40–41
development of, 41–2, 44, 133–4
rearing of, 41–5, 133–4, 154, 162
chilli peppers, 240
China
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
Columbus and, 238–41
endemic disease in, 95–6
great divergence, 115
Japanese War (1937–45), 203
Ming Empire (1368–1644), 49, 63, 115
nuclear weapons, 265
opium in, 198–203
Opium War (1839–42), 201–3
Qing Empire (1644–1912), 115, 197–203
silver in, 197–8, 199, 200, 201, 224, 225
Song Empire (960–1279), 60–61
Tang Empire (618–907), 121n, 178
tobacco in, 188
Yuan Empire (1279–1368), 109
cholera, 90n
Catholic church, 20n, 60, 143–4
Crusades, 217
Eucharist, 167
Mormon Church, 176n
Christie, Agatha, 255
Church of England, 60
Church of Latter Day Saints, 176n
cinnamon, 239–40
warfare and, 140
aggression reduction and, 12–16, 39
agriculture and, 16–17
altruism and, 18–32
diseases and, 101–2
property rights, and, 45
religion and, 34
Classic of Tea, The (Lu Yu), 164
Claudius II, Roman Emperor, 105
von Clausewitz, Carl, 142
climate change, 275–6
Code of Hammurabi (c. 1755–1750 BC), 35–6
codeine, 195
Coercive Acts (1774), 180
coffee, 9, 93, 124, 175–7, 178, 181–3, 196
anchoring effect, 244
availability bias, 244
bias blind spot, 244
confirmation bias, 238–41
curse of knowledge, 248–56
egocentric biases, 248–56
endowment effect, 262–3
gambler’s fallacy, 245–7
generalisation bias, 244
halo effect, 244
herd bias, 244
hindsight bias, 254
hot hand fallacy, 246–7
loss aversion, 262–8
present bias, 275–6
rosy retrospection, 244
status quo bias, 262–3
stereotyping, 244
sunk cost fallacy, 256–61, 276
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 199, 229n
collagen, 222
colonialism
demographics and, 160–62
diseases and, 76–99, 115–24, 231–2
settler colonies, 94–5, 160–62
Columbian Exchange, 115–16, 119n, 120, 183
Columbus, Christopher, 51, 78, 86, 115–16, 119n, 238–41
disease and, 78, 115–16, 120, 121n
scurvy and, 218
syphilis and, 121n
tobacco and, 183, 185, 186, 187, 240
common cold, 101
Concorde, 256–60
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (De Quincey), 199
confirmation bias, 238–41
Confucianism, 201
conquistadors, 48, 116–17, 119
conservatism, 262
consonant phonemes, 5–6
Constantine, Roman Emperor, 106
Constantinople, 63, 106, 107, 175
Cook, James, 160
aggression reduction and, 12–16
altruism and, 18–32
Cornwallis, Charles, 83–5
Cortés, Hernán, 116
cotton, 198
COVID-19 pandemic (2019–23), 73, 74n, 101n
Crimea
Crimean War (1853–6), 9, 102–3, 249–55
Siege of Caffa (1346), 110
Croatia, 52
crop rotation, 113
Crow tribe, 184
crowd diseases, 75, 79, 95, 96, 122
cryptocurrency, 7
culture, 4
cytokine storm, 125
Daoguang, Qing Emperor, 201, 203
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 98
Darien Scheme (1698–1700), 76–81
Darjeeling, India, 179
De Quincey, Thomas, 199
Decada Primeira (de Barros), 73
deficiency diseases, 217–37
Defoe, Daniel, 224n
dehydrogenases, 168
agriculture and, 136–40
colonialism, 160–62
dependency ratio, 151–2
population pyramids, 151–2
slavery and, 156–9
warfare and, 140–56
dengue fever, 73
dependency ratio, 151–2
Desmoulins, Camille, 177
Dickens, Charles, 199
diphtheria, 101
direct reciprocity, 25, 34, 38
diseases, 3, 5, 8–9, 73–99, 100–31
agriculture and, 74–5, 100–102
colonialism and, 76–99, 115–24, 231–2
crowd diseases, 75, 79, 95, 96, 122
deficiency diseases, 217–37
development and, 93–5
endemic disease, 76–99
epidemic disease, 3, 8–9, 75–6, 100–31
indigenous populations and, 82, 95, 115–22
lifestyle diseases, 273
pandemic disease, 75–6, 100–31
virgin soil epidemics, 82, 95, 115–22
wear and tear afflictions, 75
distillation, 169–71
divorce, 44, 56–7, 60, 155, 156, 161
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), 2, 73, 139, 205–37, 222, 269
dogs, 101
dopamine, 28–9
dot-com boom (1995–2000), 7
Drake, Francis, 189
caffeine, 9, 43, 164, 174–83, 196
tobacco, 9, 43, 93, 123, 124, 164, 170, 183–94, 196, 240
dual process theories, 248
ducks, 101
Duffy negative blood group, 88n, 123
Dunbar, Robin, 29
Dutch East India Company, 177, 178
Dutch East Indies (1800–1949), 98, 177, 178–80
Dutch Republic (1579–1795), 70
East African rift valley, 8
East India Company
British, 77, 178–80, 182, 197–200
Dutch, 177
East New Jersey, 76
echo chambers, 242
eczema, 273
Edict of Milan (313), 106
Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom, 209
egalitarianism, 13–17, 38, 55–6
Egypt, ancient, 35, 102, 107, 166–7
Eisenhower, Dwight, 261
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 52n, 76, 189
Elliot, Charles, 201
endemic diseases, 76–99
endowment effect, 262–3
England, 8
alcohol in, 171
Black Death (1348–9), 110–11
Industrial Revolution (c. 1760–c. 1840), 182
sweating sickness (1485–1551), 75
tobacco in, 188–92
Tudor period (1485–1603), 49, 50
Union of the Crowns (1603), 81
Viking Age (793–1066), 48
War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–48), 223
Wars of the Roses (1455–87), 75
wool industry, 114
Enlightenment (c. 1637– c. 1789), 176, 182
epidemics, 3, 8–9, 75–6, 100–31
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
Italian Plague (1629–31), 114
Naples Plague (1656–7), 114
Plague of Athens (430 BC), 104
Plague of Cyprian (249–62), 104–6
Plague of Justinian (541–549), 106–9
virgin soil epidemics, 82, 95, 115–22
epiglottis, 2
Étaples, France, 124
ethanol, 168
Ethiopia, 175
Eucharist, 167
eunuchs, 63
aggression, reduction of, 12–16
altruism, 18–32
diet and, 221
exercise, 272–3
false-belief test, 248
inheritance, 17, 39, 45–9, 58–72, 144–5
kin selection, 18–20, 24, 38, 46
sizes of, 144–5
famines, 76, 103, 113, 116, 129, 135, 150
fast food, 274
fava beans, 88n
fentanyl, 204
Feodosia, Crimea, 110
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, 52, 53
Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, 51
fermentation, 165
feudalism, 8–9, 47, 111–15, 144
Fields, W.C., 260
Fiji, 120
First World War, see World War I
fish, 21
Florida, 189
food allergies, 273
Forbidden City, Beijing, 62, 63, 115
Ford, 71
Ford, Gerald, 261
Formosa, 199
Fortinbras effect, 53
Fortune, Robert, 179
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 103
France, 51n
African colonies, 98
American War of Independence (1775–83), 83, 85, 86
Bourbon dynasty (1272–1861), 50
Concorde project (1962–76), 256–60
Crimean War (1853–6), 249
influenza pandemic (1918–20), 124
Louisiana colony (1682–1769; 1801–3), 92–3
Napoleonic Code (1804), 107, 144
Napoleonic Empire (1804–15), 52n, 87, 107, 142–6, 232–4
Nine Years’ War (1688–1697), 86
nuclear weapons, 265
plague epidemics in, 114
population, 142–9
primogeniture abolition (1791), 144
Prussian War (1870–71), 147
Revolution (1789–99), 48, 144, 177
Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802), 235
Saint-Domingue colony (1625–1804), 86–93, 177
Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), 83
Siege of Naples (1493), 121n
Suez Canal construction (1859–69), 81n
World War I (1914–18), 143, 148–9
World War II (1939–45), 150
Franco, Francisco, 210
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria, 54, 149
friendship, 22–5
G&T cocktail, 98
G6PD enzyme, 88n
Galen, 105
de Gama, Vasco, 218
gambler’s fallacy, 245–7
Gandhi, Mohandas, 130–31
Gansu corridor, 109
Gardner, Alan, 228
generalisation bias, 244
alcohol and, 168
disease resistance, 88–90
kin selection, 18–20
lactase, 270–71
metabolism and, 221
natural selection, 18–19, 26, 41
Genoan Republic (c. 1005–1797), 110, 188
George III, King of the United Kingdom, 197
Georgia, 83
Germany
African colonies, 98
Nazi period (1933–45), 52n, 127–8, 143, 148–9, 182n
population, 147–9
royal family, 207
unification (1866–71), 147–8
World War I (1914–18), 127–8, 143, 148–9, 213, 217
World War II (1939–45), 150–56
Goa, 199
Godin Tepe, 166
Gold Coast, 96
Golden Rule, 33
Good Friday Agreement (1998), 266–8
gossip, 26
grandmothers, 133
great divergence, 115
Great Plague of London (1665–6), 114
Greece, 56, 104, 166, 198, 207, 272
Greek Orthodox church, 45
Greenland, 237
grooming, 26
Guadeloupe, 79
Guangzhou, China, 201
guarana, 175
Guinea Coast, 98
gumbo-limbo tree, 240
gyms, 272
Habsburg dynasty (c. 1020–1918), 50–54, 64–70, 206
Habsburg jaw, 67–70
haemoglobin, 89–90
haemorrhagic fever, 79, 105, 125
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, 107
Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), 86–93, 177–8
Haldane, John Burdon Sanderson, 19
halo effect, 244
Hamilton, William Donald, 19
Hammurabi, King of Babylon, 35–6
Harper, Karen, 206
Hawkins, John, 188–9, 219, 226
hay fever, 273
heart rate, 6
Heineken, 71
Henry VII, King of England, 75
Henry VIII, King of England, 60
herd behaviour, 7
herd bias, 244
heuristics, 245–8
hindsight bias, 254
Hinduism, 45
Hippocrates, 217
HIV/AIDS, 73, 88n, 90n, 101n, 159
Hobbes, Thomas, 37
Holy Roman Empire, 46n, 50–54, 67, 103
Hong Kong, 203
hookahs, 188
Hostilian, Roman Emperor, 105
hot hand fallacy, 246–7
Huizong, Song Emperor, 60–61
Hungary, 52
hunter-gatherer societies
Bantu Expansion and, 139
birth intervals, 133
birth rates, 135
cognitive biases and, 247
diet, 221
egalitarianism, 38
exercise and, 272
flexible eating, 135
marriage, 45
population numbers, 24
tobacco use, 184
weaning, 134
Huntington’s disease, 206
Hussein, Saddam, 241
hyenas, 18
Ikea, 71
immune system, 74–5, 89–90, 123, 125, 271, 273
in vitro fertilisation, 271
Inca Empire (1438–1572), 116–17, 122, 167, 196n
inclusive fitness, 19
India
alcohol in, 166
Amritsar massacre (1919), 130
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
British colonies (1612–1947), 84, 97
endemic disease in, 95–6
epidemic disease, 102
great divergence, 115
influenza pandemic (1918–20), 128–31
Mughal Empire (1526–1857), 62, 200
nuclear weapons, 265
political families in, 71
polyandry in, 55
Portuguese colonies (1505–1961), 52, 199
tobacco in, 188
World War I (1914–18), 149
Indian National Congress, 130
Indian Ocean slave trade, 157, 158, 159
Indigenous Americans
drugs and, 165, 166, 184–7, 192, 240
Indigenous Australians, 120
indirect reciprocity, 25–30, 34, 38
Indo-Arabic numeral system, 6
Indo-European language, 137
Industrial Revolution (c. 1760–c. 1840), 182
influenza, 96, 101, 108, 111, 118, 124–31
pandemic (1918–20), 108, 111, 124–31
inheritance, 17, 39, 45–9, 58–72
family size and, 144–5
matrilineal, 47n
primogeniture, 47, 55, 58, 144
International Space Station, 175
Internet
dot-com boom (1995–2000), 7
echo chambers, 242
peer-to-peer economy, 37
intestinal parasites, 122
Inuit people, 237
Iroquois people, 166
irrigation systems, 17
Isabella, Holy Roman Empress, 52
Isabella, Queen of Castile, 51
Islam, 108–9
alcohol and, 176
Sufism, 175
Italian Plague (1629–31), 114
Ivan IV, Tsar of Russia, 46n
Ivory Coast, 96
Jaime, Duke of Segovia, 209, 210
James I and VI, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, 76, 189
Jamestown, Virginia, 189–92
Japan
Chinese War (1937–45), 203
Columbus and, 238–41
political families in, 71
Russian War (1904–5), 103
smallpox in, 118
tobacco in, 188
Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868), 49, 61
World War I (1914–18), 149
Java, 177
Jefferson, Thomas, 92–3
de Jerez, Rodrigo, 187
John XXIII, Pope, 40
Johnson, Lyndon, 261
Jordan, 241
Juan, Count of Barcelona, 210
Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, 210
Juan Fernández Islands, 224
Juana, Queen of Castile, 51
Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor, 106
Kaguru people, 55
Kansas, United States, 124
kasiri, 166
Kazakhstan, 265
Keats, John, 199
Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, 261
Kennedy family, 71
Kenya, 98
Kerensky, Alexander, 217
kin selection, 18–20, 24, 38, 46
Knowledge, The (Dartnell), 7–8
kola, 175
L-gulonolactone oxidase, 222, 234
L’Oréal, 71
L’Ouverture, Toussaint, 87–8
La Rinconada, Peru, 4
lactase, 270–71
Lake Victoria, 138
land ownership, 45
despots, deposal of, 13
phonemes, 5–6
throat, evolution on, 1–3
larynx, 2
de Las Casas, Bartolomé 186–7
Lassa fever, 101n
laudanum, 199
Le Havre, France, 232
lemons, 226–8, 232, 234, 235–6
length, measurement of, 6
Lenin, Vladimir, 217
Lent, 217
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, 67
Leopold, Duke of Albany, 207
leprosy, 75
Levi Strauss, 71
lice, 74
life cycle, 5
lifestyle diseases, 273
limes, 235n
Lin Zexu, 201
Lind, James, 226–7
lip-smacking, 6
Liverpool, Merseyside, 227
Lloyd, Christopher, 224
Lloyd’s of London, 177
logic, 30–32
London, England
black cabs, 37
Black Death (1348–9), 110–11
Great Plague (1665–6), 114
loss aversion, 262–8
Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, 210
Louis XIV, King of France, 92
Louisiana, 92–3
see also pair bonding
Lu Yu, 164
Lucan, George Bingham, 3rd Earl, 250–54
Ludendorff, Erich, 128
lungs, 4
Luxembourg, 51
Lyft, 37
Macedonia, 166
Madagascar, 159
Madrid Codex, 185
Mafia, 236
Maghribi traders, 36–7
Mahan, Alfred Thayer, 230
malaria, 73, 87–93, 95–7, 101, 118, 121, 190, 232
American War of Independence and, 84–6, 232
Darien Scheme and, 78–81
Haitian Revolution and, 87–93
resistance to, 88–93
slavery and, 123
Malta, 235
mammals, 41
Manifest Destiny, 119
Mao Zedong, 203
Māori peoples, 120
Maria Theresa, Holy Roman Empress, 70n
marriage, 44–5
divorce, 44, 56–7, 60, 155, 156, 161
royal dynasties and, 49–54
Martinique, 177
Mary I, Queen of England, 52n
mastic tree, 240
mastoiditis, 209
Matamba Kingdom (1631–1744), 55
matrilineal inheritance, 47n
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, 50–53, 68
Mayan civilisation (c. 250–c. 1697), 185, 186
Mayflower, 119
MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), 176n
Mecca, 109
medicine, 271
Mehmed II, Ottoman Sultan, 46n
Mehmed III, Ottoman Sultan, 61
melanin, 206
Melbourne, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount, 202
menopause, 133
Merchant Shipping Act (1867), 235
Merchant’s Coffee House, Philadelphia, 180
mesolimbic pathway, 172–4, 181, 187, 194, 196
Mesopotamia, 35, 102, 105, 166, 198
methamphetamine, 182n
mice, 21
Michelin, 71
Micronesia, 140
micronutrients, 220
milk, 270–71
minerals, 220
Ming Empire (1368–1644), 49, 63, 115
mitochondrial DNA, 139
Moctezuma, Aztec Emperor, 116
Mombasa, Kenya, 98
monarchies, see royal dynasties
Mongol Empire (1279–1368), 109–10
monogamy, 54–8
royal dynasties and, 58–60, 64–70
monopoly on violence, 39
Montagu, Edwin, 130
de Montaigne, Michel, 11
Monte Carlo casino, Monaco, 246
Montesquieu, 59
Morgan family, 71
Mormon Church, 176n
mosquitoes, 73, 78–81, 84–5, 88, 91, 118
Mozambique, 159
Mughal Empire (1526–1857), 62, 200
Muhammad, Prophet of Islam, 109, 176n
Mumbai, India, 129
mumps, 101
Murad III, Ottoman Sultan, 61
Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The (Christie), 255
Musk, Elon, 58
myopia, 273
Nabokov, Vladimir, 255
Namibia, 98
Nanking, China, 203
Naples, Kingdom of (1282–1816)
Napoleonic Wars (1803–15), 233
plague epidemic (1656–7), 114
Siege (1493), 121n
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 52n, 87, 142–5, 232, 234
Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, 147
Napoleonic Code (1804), 107, 144
Napoleonic Wars (1803–15), 52n, 142–5, 160, 232–4
natural selection, 18–19, 26, 41, 90, 221, 272
naval blockades, 228–34
Nazi Germany (1933–45), 52n, 127–8, 143, 148–9, 182n
Ndongo Kingdom (1518–1671), 55
nectar, 181
Nemesis, 202
Netherlands, 7, 51, 98, 140, 177, 178, 180, 199
New Caledonia (1698–1700), 76–81
New England colonies (1607–1776), 48
New Orleans, Louisiana, 92–3
New South Wales, 161
New World exploration, 51–2
endemic diseases and, 82, 95, 76–99
epidemic diseases and, 115–22
scurvy and, 217–18
Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 210–17
Nicot, Jean, 188
nicotine, 9, 43, 93, 123, 124, 164, 183–94, 196
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 88
Niger-Congo languages, 137
Nine Years’ War (1688–1697), 86
Nixon, Richard, 261
Nobel Prize, 263
Nolan, Louis, 251–3
non-compliance, 36
Non-Proliferation Treaty, 265
Nordic languages, 137
Normandy, 48
North Korea, 265
Nova Scotia, 76
nuclear weapons, 264–5
numbers, 6
Nzinga, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba, 55
‘Of Friendship’ (Montaigne), 11
Old Testament, 57
On War (Clausewitz), 142
Opium Wars
First (1839–42), 201–3
Second (1856–60), 203
orang-utans, 132
Organski, Abramo Fimo Kenneth, 132
orgasm, 33
original antigenic sin, 125
Origins (Dartnell), 8
osteomalacia, 237
Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), 46n, 52, 60, 61, 149, 175, 249
oxen, 5
oxycodone, 204
oxygen, 4
Pacific islands, 120
Pakistan, 265
Pale Fire (Nabakov), 255
Panama, 77–80
Panama Canal, 80n
pandemics, 75–6
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
COVID-19 pandemic (2019–23), 73, 74n, 101n
influenza pandemic (1918–20), 108, 111, 124–31
Plague of Cyprian (249–62), 104–6
Plague of Justinian (541–549), 106–9
parasites, 73–5
Paris, France, 177
Parthian Empire (247 BC–AD 224), 105
Paterson, William, 77
patriarchy, 47n
peer-to-peer economy, 37
Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), 104
Pelusium, Egypt, 107
pentadactyl, 6
Pepper Coast, 96
peppers, 240
Persia
Parthian Empire (247 BC–AD 224), 105
Sassanian Empire (224–651), 105, 107, 108
Peru, 4, 84, 116–17, 184, 196n
Petrarch, 100
Philip II, King of Spain, 52, 54, 65, 66
Philip V, King of Spain, 70
Philip, King of Castile, 51
phonemes, 5–6
pigs, 101
Pizarro, Francisco, 117
Antonine Plague (165–80), 105
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
Italian Plague (1629–31), 114
Naples Plague (1656–7), 114
Plague of Athens (430 BC), 104
Plague of Cyprian (249–62), 104–6
Plague of Justinian (541–549), 106–9
Pocahontas, 191
Polo, Marco, 239
polyandry, 54–5
polygyny, 45, 54–8, 60, 139, 159
royal dynasties and, 60–64
Pop. 1280 (Thompson), 255
population, see demographics
Portugal, 52, 80n, 97, 98, 115, 171, 178, 188
Powhatan tribe, 191
Pragmatic Solution (1713), 70n
prefrontal cortex, 173
present bias, 275–6
primogeniture, 47, 55, 58, 144
Procopius, 107
Prohibition (1920–33), 169
prophylactics, 271
prospect theory, 263–7
prostitution, 57
psychoactive drugs, see drugs
pulque, 166
punishment, 35
religion and, 34
Pythagoras, 88n
al-Qaeda, 261
Qianlong, Qing Emperor, 197
Qing Empire (1644–1912), 115, 197–203
Quechua people, 84n
Queen’s Governess, The (Harper), 206
quid pro quo, 22
Qur’an, 176
Rady, Martyn, 53
Raglan, FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron, 249–55
Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), 109
Rasputin, Grigori, 211–17
Reagan, Ronald, 1
recessive deleterious mutations, 65–70
reciprocal altruism, 20–32, 34, 38
Red Sea slave trade, 157
religion, 34
reproduction, 4, 5, 132–63, 271
aggression and, 13
birth intervals, 133
birth rates, 133, 135, 142, 147–56
orgasm and, 33
polygyny and, 45, 54–8, 60, 139, 159
royal dynasties, 8, 58–72, 269
warfare and, 143–56
reputation, 14, 26, 29, 34, 35, 36
resources, competition for, 4
retina, 2
rheumatism, 75
Richard III, King of England, 75
rickets, 237
de Rivera, Primo, 210
Roanoke Colony (1585–90), 189
Robespierre, Maximilien, 177
Robinson Crusoe (Defoe), 224n
Rochefort, France, 232
Rolfe, John, 190–92
Rollo, Count of Rouen, 48
Romania, 207
Romanov dynasty (1613–1917), 207, 210–17
Rome, ancient, 13, 46n, 56–7, 104–6, 142, 166, 237
Roosevelt family, 71
rosy retrospection, 244
Rothschild family, 71
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 37
Rowlatt Act (1919), 130
royal dynasties, 4, 8, 46, 49–54, 58–72, 269
disease and, 118
polygyny and, 60–64
Royal Navy, 83, 85–6, 127, 171, 223, 224–34
rum, 171
Rumsfeld, Donald, 249
Russell, Bertrand, 238
Russia
Civil War (1917–22), 154
Crimean War (1853–6), 9, 102–3, 249–55
Japanese War (1904–5), 103
Napoleonic invasion (1812), 143, 234
population, 145
Revolution (1905), 215
Revolution (1917), 9, 127, 154, 216–17
Russia – cont.
Romanov dynasty (1613–1917), 207, 210–17
Tsardom (1547–1721), 46n
Viking Age (793–1066), 48
World War I (1914–18), 213, 217
World War II (1939–45), 150–56
Safavid Empire (1501–1736), 62
Saint-Domingue (1625–1804), 86–93
sake, 166
salt, 275
Sapolsky, Robert, 174
Sardinia, 249
Sassanian Empire (224–651), 105, 108
Savoy dynasty (1003–1946), 235
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty (1826–1918), 207, 210
scarlet fever, 101
Scotland, 8
Darien Scheme (1698–1700), 76–81
Union of the Crowns (1603), 81
Viking Age (793–1066), 48
Scramble for Africa (1881–1914), 95–9
scurvy, 217–36
Sea Venture, 190
seawater, 4–5
Second World War, see World War II
sedentary lifestyles, 272
Selkirk, Alexander, 224n
Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), 83
Shakespeare, William, 53, 190, 243
Shanghai, China, 203
shingles, 101
Shyamalan, M. Night, 255–6
Siberia, 121
Sick and Hurt Board, 226–8, 232
Siege of Caffa (1346), 110
Silk Roads, 109
silver, 197–8, 199, 200, 201, 224
Sinn Féin, 148n
Six-Day War (1967), 141
slander, 35
Slave Coast, 96
slavery, 3
demographics and, 156–9
diseases, spread of, 79, 95, 122–4
drug production and, 170–71, 177–8, 179, 193
Haitian Revolution (1791–1804), 86–93
Indian Ocean trade, 157, 158, 159
Red Sea trade, 157
trans-Saharan trade, 157
transatlantic trade, 9, 86–7, 92, 122–4, 156–9, 193, 197, 227
sleeping sickness, 74
smallpox, 96, 101, 105, 116–18, 119n
Social Conquest of Earth, The (Wilson), 1
Social Instinct, The (Raihani), 11, 36
aggression reduction and, 12–16, 39
altruism and, 18–32
religion and, 34
Solanaceae plant family, 184
Solomon, King of Israel, 57
Somalia, 98
Song Empire (960–1279), 60–61
Sons of Liberty, 179
South Africa, 98, 103, 120, 265
South Carolina, 76, 83, 85, 188
South Korea, 71
Soviet Union (1922–91), 150, 264
Spain
American War of Independence (1775–83), 83
Bourbon dynasty (1700–), 207, 209–10
Empire, see Spanish Empire
French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802), 235
Habsburg dynasty (1516–1700), 51–4, 65, 68–70, 206
Inquisition (1478–1834), 188
Napoleonic Wars (1803–15), 232–4
plague epidemics in, 114
Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), 83
tobacco in, 187–8
War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–48), 223
African colonies, 99
cinchona in, 84
Darien Scheme and, 80
disease, spread of, 115–17, 119
inheritance and, 48
Philippine islands, 52
population, 147
Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), 83
slavery, 122–3
War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–48), 223
Spanish flu (1918–20), see influenza pandemic
Sparta, 104
despots, deposal of, 13
throat, evolution on, 1–3
spices, 239–40
spine, 3
‘Spirit of the Laws, The’ (Montesquieu), 59
Sri Lanka, 97–8
Stanhope, Alexander, 69
status quo bias, 262–3
stereotyping, 244
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (1972–9), 264
Suez Canal, 81n
Sufism, 175
sugar, 93, 123, 124, 179, 182, 198
Suleiman I, Ottoman Sultan, 60
Sumer (c. 4500–1900 BC), 6n, 35, 198
Sun Tzu, 142
sunk cost fallacy, 256–61, 276
supersonic aircraft, 256–60
surgery, 271
surnames, 47
sweating sickness, 75
Switzerland, 50
Sydney, New South Wales, 161, 162
Taft family, 71
Taíno people, 185
Taiwan, 199
Taliban, 261
Tang Empire (618–907), 121n, 178
TaskRabbit, 37
taxation, 36
Tay-Sachs diseases, 206
Taylor, Elizabeth, 1
tea, 9, 124, 167, 175, 177, 178–80, 181–2, 183, 196, 197
Tea Act (1773), 179–80
temperatures, 4
Tempest, The (Shakespeare), 190
Tennyson, Alfred, 1st Baron, 250
Tenochtitlan, Aztec Empire, 116, 122
Thailand, 71
thalassemia, 88n
Theodosius, Roman Emperor, 106
theory of mind, 248
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Kahneman), 248n
Thirteen Colonies (1607–1776), see American Colonies
Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), 103
Thompson, James ‘Jim’, 255
throat, 1–3
Tibet, 55
timekeeping, 6
tiswin, 166
tobacco, 9, 43, 93, 123, 124, 164, 170, 183–94, 196, 198, 240
Togo, 98
Tokugawa Ienari, 61
Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868), 49, 61
Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, 62
Toscanelli, Paolo dal Pozzo, 238
Toulon, France, 232
Toyota, 71
trachea, 2
tramadol, 204
trans-Saharan slave trade, 157
transatlantic slave trade, 9, 86–7, 92, 122–4, 156–9, 193, 197, 227
Treaty of Nanking (1842), 203
Treaty of Verdun (843), 51n
Trinidad, 191
Trotter, Thomas, 227
tsetse flies, 73
tuberculosis, 101
Tudor period (1485–1603), 49, 50, 52n
tulip mania (1634–7), 7
Tversky, Amos, 263
Uber, 37
Ukraine, 265
Umayyad Caliphate (661–750), 109
Union of the Crowns (1603), 81
United Kingdom
Concorde project (1962–76), 256–60
Crimean War (1853–6), 9, 102–3, 249–55
Empire, see British Empire
Industrial Revolution (c. 1760–c. 1840), 182
nuclear weapons, 265
opium in, 198–9
Opium War, First (1839–42), 201–3
Opium War, Second (1856–60), 203
World War I (1914–18), 148–9
World War II (1939–45), 150
Afghanistan War (2001–21), 261
Concorde project and, 258–9
healthcare in, 204
influenza pandemic (1918–20), 124
Iraq War (2003–11), 9, 241–2, 249
Louisiana purchase (1803), 92–3
Mafia, 236
Manifest Destiny, 119
opiates/opioids in, 204
Panama Canal construction (1904–14), 81n
political families, 71
primogeniture abolition (1776), 48
Prohibition (1920–33), 169
Revolution (1765–91), 82–6, 160, 179, 232, 233
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (1972–9), 264
tobacco in, 193
World War I (1914–18), 149
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 5
unknown knowns, 249
unsanitary environments, 101–2
upper respiratory tract, 5
upright posture, see bipedalism
Ur, Sumer, 35
Usual Suspects (1995 film), 255
vaccines, 271
vampire bats, 21
Venetian Republic (697–1797), 140, 176, 188, 239
Vernon, Edward, 171
vestigial bones, 2
Victoria Eugenie, Queen consort of Spain, 209–10
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom, 9, 207–9, 210, 211, 213
Vietnam War (1955–75), 261
Viking Age (793–1066), 47, 119n
violence, 37
virgin soil epidemics, 82, 95, 115–22
Virginia Colony (1606–1776), 188–92
vitamins, 220
A, 237
C, 222–36
vocalisation, see speech
walking upright, see bipedalism
Walter, Richard, 205
War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–48), 223
War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48), 223
War of the Spanish Succession (1701–15), 70
demographics and, 140–56
disease and, 82–93, 124–31, 228–34
Wars of the Roses (1455–87), 75
Washington, George, 84
Wason selection task, 30–32
water, 4–5
waterpipes, 188
weapons, 270
weddings, 45
Weimar Republic (1918–33), 128
whooping cough, 101
Wilhelm II, German Kaiser, 213
William I, King of England, 48
Wilson, Edward, 1
wine, 166
wisdom of the crowd, 256–7
wool industry, 114
World Bank, 152
World Politics (Organski), 132
World War I (1914–18), 103, 124–8, 143, 148–9, 154, 193–4, 213
World War II (1939–45), 103, 126, 150–56, 193–4
wrist joint, 2
X- chromosomes, 208–9
Y-chromosomes, 139
yaupon, 175
yellow fever, 73, 95, 96, 118, 123
American War of Independence and, 84
Darien Scheme and, 78–81
Haitian Revolution and, 87–93
slavery and, 123
yerba mate, 175
Yersinia pestis
Black Death (1346–53), 108, 109–15
Plague of Justinian (541–549), 106–9
Yucatán, 116
Yunnan, China, 178
zero-sum game, 22
Zika, 101n