A Short History of the World - H. G. Wells - A Short History of the World by H. G. Wells was first published in 1922 and was intended as a shorter version of his earlier book The Outline of History. Taking the reader from the birth of galaxies to the first world war, this is a very comprehensive book that succinctly explains the development of life, religions, and humankind in general. The book was endorsed by Albert Einstein and was also banned by the Francoist government in Spain in 1940 for showing socialist inclinations, attacking the Catholic Church, and giving a view of the Spanish Civil war that didn't sit right with Francisco Franco. In between the origin of the universe and WWI, Wells discusses the beginning of life, the age of mammals, the first men, ancient civilisations, the birth of Judaism and Christianity, the ancient Greeks, the reformation, the American war of Independence, and much more. Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer.