It took 43 seconds for the atomic bomb to be dropped on Hiroshima. History was forever altered in less than a minute. In contrast, it took 355 years, 10 months, and five days to end African slavery in the Americas.

These moments in history are among the nearly 200 recounted in this turn-back-the-clock look at time--and the part it played in history. Unlike most books that present events in chronological order, It's About Time ranks key historical moments by duration--from the shortest to the longest.

* 1/400th of a second-photographing the flag-raising on Iwo Jima (1945)

* Two hours, 32 seconds--Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon (1969)

* Four days--stock market crash (1929)

* 14 years, 28 days--the carving of Mount Rushmore (1927-41)

* 2,267 years--construction of the Great Wall of China (7th century B.C.-1568)

Featuring facts from each event and black-and-white snapshots from many of them, this book offers a yet-unseen perspective on history and the time it has taken for historical events to unfold. It's About Time is a must-read for history and trivia buffs everywhere.