Great cities are complex, chaotic and colossal, but some have dominated the world stage and become places where world history is made. Here the author of Rise and Fall journeys back to discover Babylonian mathematics, Athenian theatre and intellectual debate, and Roman construction that has lasted millennia. We see revolutionary sparks fly in Enlightenment Paris and Imperial London establishing itself through transportation, while in Moscow, men build spaceships while millions starve. Other cities discussed here include Istanbul, New York, Mumbai, and Beijing