The Browser's Book of Beginnings: Origins of Everything Under, and Including, the Sun;

Obsessed with the origins of things, Charles Panati has dug up enough beginnings and firsts for any barroom sage, or academician, to fend off the most troublesome trivia queries. Ranging from the beginnings of galaxies, the emergence of bacteria, and from bony fish to soap, loaded dice, ethnic slurs, hypnosis, comic strips and much more, The Browser's Book of Beginnings is a fascinating read--sampled randomly or digested whole. Illustrated with more than 100 drawings, diagrams, and archival photographs, and including comprehensive bibliographies and an index, The Browser's Book of Beginnings is a most readable and concise quick-reference book.