Fifty dates in the history of the world cannot claim to become the basis for “World History,” even in an abbreviated version. They can, however, help to illuminate its progress as if with a few flashes of a spotlight. In the book “50 Great Dates in World History,” Jules Schuler describes events from which one can build an overall picture of a number of milestones in human history - from the mastery of fire to the fall of the Berlin Wall.