Guns Germs & Steel - Why Europeans conquered the world - One, by the end of the Ice Age it was predestined that different societies would develop at different speeds.

Guns, Steel, and Germs - Two, how a few hundred men could destroy empires.

Why Africa is the poorest continent - Three, how Central Africa society was destroyed in two generations.

This PBS series on the book ignores Asia but is great for understanding world history and the influence of geography. The transcripts of the entire shows are not too long - 1, 2, 3.

And the book is very good.