History is most often taught as the story of great men (rarely women) doing great things, or bad men doing bad things. America’s historic events are also usually presented as being based on ideas: freedom, equality, democracy, etc. The chapter from Tom Standage’s book A History of the World in 6 Glasses, however, demonstrates that often greed, the desire for comfort, and other less-noble factors play a huge role in history. In other words, the humans who shaped these events were human, not god-like.

Using the chapter from Standage’s book, consider this reality of the past being shaped by ordinary people with ordinary concerns and desires. Some historians actually argue that virtually all events in history come down to greed – greed for money, power, or status. We won’t take the argument that far, but I do want you do explore the relationship of everyday concerns to important turning points and events. What do the facts in Standage’s chapter reveal about how much of history is based on grand ideas versus being caused by these more ordinary issues. Does this diminish the importance of these events?