Consider the history of the world from 1 million B.C. until now. Although limited data exists from early history, we still have some information about how people lived and how much they consumed.

a. Has the global rate of economic growth remained constant throughout history?

b. Which of the following time periods experienced the highest average annual growth rate?

• 1 million B.C. to 1200 A.D.
• 1200 to 1800 A.D.
• 1800 to 1950 A.D.
• 1950 to 1975 A.D.