The Royal Geographical Society with IBG Presents Lewis Dartnell

Professor Lewis Dartnell, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Knowledge, has a new book out - Origins: How the Earth Made Us and will visit Darlington on Thursday 4 July to take you through some of the extraordinary geographical forces that have shaped the human race.

Lewis said "When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, mass migration and decisive wars. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us?

"As a species we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces drove our evolution in East Africa; mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece; and today voting behaviour in the United States follows the bed of an ancient sea. The human story is the story of these forces, from plate tectonics and climate change, to atmospheric circulation and ocean currents."

What can people expect from the talk? "Lots of maps! I'll pick out just a few of the many stories in the book and walk through these fascinating chains of causation from human history to fundamental features of the planet. I became a massive map-nerd while I was researching and writing ORIGINS, and so during the talk I'll illustrate these deep links by overlaying maps on top of each other on the screen."

Professor Lewis Dartnell comes to Darlington Hippodrome on Thursday 4 July.

Tickets* £13, discounts £12, RGS-IBG members £11

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

*Includes £1 restoration levy