Who Ate the First Oyster?

The Extraordinary People Behind the Greatest Firsts in History

By: Cody Cassidy

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 4 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Who wore the first pants? Who painted the first masterpiece? Who first rode the horse? Who invented soap? This madcap adventure across ancient history uses everything from modern genetics to archaeology to uncover the geniuses behind these and other world-changing innovations.

Who invented the wheel? Who told the first joke? Who drank the first beer? Who was the murderer in the first murder mystery, who was the first surgeon, who sparked the first fire - and most critically, who was the first to brave the slimy, pale oyster?

In this audiobook, writer Cody Cassidy digs deep into the latest research to uncover the untold stories of some of these incredible innovators (or participants in lucky accidents). With a sharp sense of humor and boundless enthusiasm for the wonders of our ancient ancestors, Who Ate the First Oyster? profiles the perpetrators of the greatest firsts and catastrophes of prehistory, using the lives of individuals to provide a glimpse into ancient cultures, show how and why these critical developments occurred, and educate us on a period of time that until recently we've known almost nothing about.

©2020 Cody Cassidy (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A fun and enlightening quick trip through all the clever, stupid, dangerous, and gross human firsts that we've all wondered about." (Zach and Kelly Weinersmith, New York Times best-selling authors of Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything)

"In this fascinating and entertaining book, Cody Cassidy has done what might seem impossible: illustrating the identity, life, and death of some of the most momentous - and entirely anonymous - figures in human (and prehuman) history." (Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler)

"Illuminating and entertaining.... Cassidy humanizes prehistory with wit and a firm grasp of the science behind these anthropological case studies. Enthralled readers will develop a new appreciation for the ancient past." (Publishers Weekly) 

It could be better...

This is a book that is a little bit of something about everything.
Reduce to one hour, and it would be perfect.

Absolutely Intriguing

once you start this adventure you won't want to stop, every chapter is an interesting moment in our bumbling yet extraordinary evolution. I came away from this book in awe of all that it took to get us to where we are today and the brave souls that took this first steps to get us here. Great read, great narration, I'll probably give it a second read for good measure, the story on Utsi the "1st murder" was incredibly interesting...

Had a great potential but....

I bought this book based on a recommendation from BookRiot. It sounded that I will really like it and find it interesting. It has been some of the longest 5 hours of my life, I do not enjoy the content, the narrator sounded good but the story was not as interesting as it could. The information is very good, But the structure of the book was just boring. I have read several autdiobooks in the last couple of years, I have DNF some of them and I still wonder why I did not DNF and return this book, it was just not for me.

Fascinating Book!

I loved this book, from the topic to the performance, and the way its written. Cassidy does a great job of communicating complex ideas in science about human development and making connections to the modern day. This is an approachable read with humor and a wealth of fascinating information. It's a great way to further understand all the ways that we've benefited from the contributions of generations before us.

Things you probably never thought of

A small few of us ever take the time to understand how civilizations before advanced and the perils they faced to lay foundation for who we are today. This book takes you on that journey. It is a bit wonky in the beginning of the read as the author sets the structure for marking historical time by relating it to time on a clock, but don't let that stop you as it is a good ploy. This book is thought provoking and will make you wiser for sure.

informative and entertaining

Great collection of interesting and intriguing stories. After finishing this book i hope to find more stories explaining other curious firsts by humanity.

Informative and enjoyable.

This book has the perfect balance between anthropology and humor. I will definitely be listening to more books by this author.

Well Humanized

Cassidy has an unusual ability to humanize the people and the long time frames.

booooorrrrrrrring

the book was all over the place. kinda like a manic on coffee and too much sugar. I had to curse my eyes out in order for them to stay open.

Entertaining and Educational

Puts monumental historic events and turns them into a personal story. Each chapter is interesting, relatable to modern times, and most of all entertaining. One of my favorite books.