From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center in the
heart of New York City, it's the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Arnold!
Tonight join Jimmy and his guests.
Will Smith,
Gerry the Giraffe,
musical guest the Earth and its Peoples,
and featuring the Tonight Show band!
I'm Logan Smith.
And now, here's your host, Jimmy Arnold!
That's what I'm talking about, right there everybody! 
Hot crowd! Hot crowd, welcome everybody to the Tonight Show!
Thank you, thank you, take a seat.
We have a fantastic show tonight, right Logan?
I sure hope so.
Okay... here's what everybody's talking about.
So as I am sure you know in year 1299, the
Seljuk Turks founded the Ottoman Empire.
Now, this empire gained power gradually over time and eventually even captured Constantinople in 1453.
But as for location, it is in the Middle East or in other words between Iraq and a hard place.
You Mecca me laugh.
Oman, these jokes are bad.
So, uh, speaking of the history of the Middle
East, recently, and when I say recently I
mean in about the year 622, Islam was founded
by a prophet from Mecca named Muhammad. Islam
is a monotheistic faith that is currently
the second largest in the world. The Sunni-Shiite
split was a major schism in Islam that took
place in the mid-7th century from 656 to 661
when a majority supported Abu Bakr as caliph,
but some supported Ali.
Yeesh. What is this guy droning on about now?
All I hear was the word "history" and then
blah, blah, blah. Man... I'm hungry. I could
really use some food... Oh crap, Jimmy's talking
to me.
Uh, Logan?
Uh, yeah.
I said, what's your take on the caliphates?
Oh, um, I mean... yeah. Jimmy, the Umayyad
Caliphate was from 661 to 750 and ruled from
Damascus in modern-day Syria. Arguably, more
influential, was the Abbasid Caliphate was
from 750-1258. The capital was in Baghdad
which is modern-day Iraq. It is considered
the golden age of classical Islamic culture.
After the 900s it began to decline and eventually
fell to the Mongols. As for the culture, the
Abbasids had great literature like Rubaiyat
and what is known in the West as The Arabian
Nights It was also home to many great mathematicians,
a style of art that featured geometric patterns
and shapes, and the architectural style of
mosques that spread around Eurasia. Muslim
manufacturers were among the most skilled
in the world, especially in production of
steel. Haroun al-Rashid was a famous caliph
that allowed peaceful trade across Eurasia.
Christians led crusades to try to take back
the Middle East. Also relevant was the Fatimid
caliphate which arose in Egypt and ruled there from 909-1171...
Uh oh. I was not expecting Logan to know so
much about Islam and the Middle East.
I don't even know that much about it; I was just reading off the cue cards.
Wow I am hungry. You know what really sounds good is ...
Crap! Logan just asked me something.
I said, wouldn't you agree Jimmy?
I mean yeah, I full heartedly agree. 100%.
Wow, uh... Stick around everybody; we'll be
back with more Tonight Show next.
Alright, welcome back everyone; I've got to
say I am so glad that Will Smith is here tonight.
But before he comes out, we actually have
someone else arguably more influential. I
know, it's hard to believe. It's so amazing
here at the Tonight Show, we have access to
a lot of stuff. We actually have Genghis Khan,
the Genghis Khan, on the phone tonight.
No I'm serious. Logan, is he picking up?
One sec, uh yeah... I think...
Here he is!
Oh, what is this? Hello. What is up, broseph?
Excuse me... broseph? And what's up with your bad Russian accent?
What can I say? I take over Russia, I like accent, okay?
Uh, and anyways, please call me G-Khan, we don't gotta be all formal up in here. Okay?
Okay... Can you tell me about what East Asia was like before you invaded, G-Khan?
Sure, sure. So, the first empire that I remember
is the Sui Dynasty. What a bunch of trolls,
let me tell you. They were only around from
589 to 618. Then came the Tang dynasty. From 618 to 906 they vastly increased their trade.
They traded along the Silk Road and throughout
the Indian Ocean. Finally, the Song dynasty
rose to power. They invented the compass,
gunpowder (one of my personal favorite inventions,
let me tell you), and block printing. Junks,
a type of ship, also helped trade grow. Immensely.
The Song dynasty also practiced neo-Confucianism.
Also during this time, women practiced foot
binding: a very painful yet, according to
them, attractive practice. Also, the women
have arranged marriages. Then I came in and
defeated the Song, like a boss. Do you want
me to show you how I ended the Song?
Um... sure?
Here, one sec, watch this. I take Song...
and I end it! You see? I ended the Song?
Uh, you just paused a song on your iPod...
Well, I came in and started depleting the
Song Dynasty. Once my son, little Kublai,
took over, the Yuan dynasty was formed. After
my death, the bubonic plague ravaged my people.
Time passes, ok, and the Ming dynasty comes
about. They are one of the longest Chinese
dynasties. Ming China began exploration throughout
Pacific Ocean with Zheng He. Also, they traded
porcelain as a major export. Meanwhile in
my evasive enemies in "Japan", shogunates
are in control. The Ashikaga, or however you
say it, shogunate caused decentralization
however, trade flourished. Also, woman began
to have an increased role in culture. Murasaki
Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon wrote The Tale of
Genji and The Pillow Book respectively. Also...
Yeah, Mr. Genghis, er, G-Khan, I think we're
just out of time.
Okay, it was nice talking to you; anyways
I have to go hit up the gym. So, uh... Let
me tell you, it's quite taxing business...
to take over all of Eurasia.
I'm sure.
There you go everybody. Stick around; we'll
be here with Will Smith next.
Our first guest recently starred in a movie
about the Americas from 600-1450. Please welcome
Mr. Will Smith!
Welcome to the show, my friend.
Thank you. I'm glad to be here, but before
I talk about the movie, I just want to make
one thing clear.
Uh, yeah, what is that, what is that?
Well whenever I tell people who I am they
laugh and say "No aren't." You guys realize
there isn't only one actor named Will Smith
right? It's a common name.
Yeah, dude, I feel you, bro. Same thing happens
when I tell people I host the Tonight Show.
There isn't just one? Okay?
I know, I know...
Let's be realistic... Well enough about that,
we came here to talk about your movie.
Yeah, my movie. Well as I'm sure you've all
seen in papers and such, my movie is an action
packed thriller that follows a man that got
stuck in the Mayan civilization in their golden age.
Sounds exciting, did you learn anything about
the Mayan civilization?
I actually learned a lot about civilizations
from all across the Americas. For example,
the Aztecs are located in modern day Mexico.
The Incas are near the Andean mountain range
in modern day Peru. Finally, the Mississippian
mound builders are in modern day Illinois.
The Aztec king Montezuma I is considered the
father of the Aztecs. The Aztecs and Incas
were both ruled by kings, while the Mississippian
mound builders were ruled by the senior family
members. Hi there. Eventually, the Spanish
took over the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan
in about 1521... hello... and the Inca capital
of Cusco in about 1532 was also overrun by
the Spaniards. Also important were the Anasazi
which were located in the southwest United
States.
Can you tell me a little about their social
and economic life?
Sure. These civilizations demonstrate a caste
system. At the top are the nobles and at the
bottom are the serfs, servants, and slaves.
The Incas were a benevolent empire and let
their conquered tribes keep religion and culture.
The Mississippian mound builders were represented
socially by their burial mounds. The Aztecs
and the Mississippian mound builders were
both agriculturally based. The Aztecs' economy
was heavily based on their city markets.
So I am traveled to various places across
the world, I mean Mogadishu? Nice place, nice
place. And it's always interesting to learn
about their diverse cultures. Did you see
any of this, in your tour of the Americas?
You bet. The Aztecs practiced human sacrifice
to please the gods. They created huge temples
to become closer to their gods. Not only were
they polygamists, they were very intellectual.
Like the Mayans they had their very own calendar.
The Incas had rare human sacrifice and mummified
their people. The Mississippian mound builders
made pottery and buried their dead in conical
mounds.
So, uh, it says here you brought a clip from
your upcoming movie?
Yeah, actually brought the trailer to show
for the first time.
Never before been seen?
Yup. The editors had to wear blindfolds while they made it.
That's how our show works, too. Alright, let's watch.
What is this weird Mayan language?
I don't think we can decipher it, man. What's
the worst that could happen?
Yeah...
Hey, uh, thanks for coming on the show. Gerry the Giraffe joins us next, come on back everybody.
Please welcome, the one and only, Gerry the Giraffe!
A pleasure to be here.
So for all you who don't know Gerry, he is
our head correspondent here at the Tonight
Show. But more than that, he happens to be
a native from Sub-Saharan Africa.
Yes, I was born and raised there. Though,
it quite frankly saddens me when many people
know so little about the history of my homeland,
so I thought I could shed a little light on
it tonight. So you talked about Islam earlier.
North Africa fell into the Islamic sphere
of influence. Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan from
the 14th century, was one of the greatest
Muslim explorers of all time.
Alright, alright.
Also important are the cities on the eastern
coast of the continent, also known as the
Swahili coast. Arabs founded cities along
the eastern coast to trade in the Indian Ocean
trade network. Persians and Arabs migrated
down the Swahili coast from Mogadishu to Mombasa
to Zanzibar.
Is Mogadishu nice this time of year?
No. Anyways, my homeland of Sub-Saharan Africa
has an extremely rich history. But part of
the reason many people do not know much about
its history is that much of African is that
much of African history and literature was
passed down through oral tradition, making
the history much less documented. Yet, many
of the major civilizations have stood the
test of time and much is still known about
them.
Please enlighten me.
Demographically, Bantu tribes originated in
western-central Africa and began to migrate
south of the Sahara. The Bantu language is
spoken across sub-Saharan Africa. The city
of Great Zimbabwe lasted from 100 to 1400
and flourished between the 12th and 15th centuries,
but how it fell is still extremely mysterious.
Actually, Great Zimbabwe has extremely mysterious
stone ruins that no one knows about. Another
great civilization was Ghana, which was located
in west Africa, and was founded in the 500s.
Sadly, it began its downfall in 1076.
That is very interesting. What about the culture
and economics of these societies?
Many sub-Saharan Africans were skilled at
carving in wood and ivory. Different from
the rest of the world, some African tribes
were matrilineal rather than patrilineal.
Some Arab slave traders forced Africans into
slavery. Iron and copper was more valuable
to Africans than gold was. The trans-Saharan
trade route connected the Mediterranean world
with sub-Saharan Africa world. Gold was abundant
in sub-Saharan Africa, but salt was desired.
But now that you know so much about it, it
would be easy for to answer some questions,
obviously. But I wanted to see what people
without this knowledge would know about the
history of Africa. So a few weeks ago I decided
ask some Americans what they knew about the
history of Africa.
Okay, so here I am at a school, to ask these
scholars and teachers what they know about Africa.
A.
The Atlantic Trade Route?
Yes.
And what's your second one?
Uh... C.
The Antarctican Trade Network?
I don't know what the answer is.
Those were the two wrong ones.
What? What do you mean they're too wrong?
Ghana.
The Sahara Desert. The Sahara Desert!
Kenya.
Ibn Battuta.
Liberia.
Zimbabwe.
Korea.
The greatest man who ever lived!
He traveled everywhere!
They are in Africa.
Gold! [Censored]!
Ivory! Djibouti!
Our next guest is from the critically acclaimed band that has traveled around the world; please welcome the Earth and Its Peoples!
♫ Welcome to your life ♫
♫ There's no turning back ♫
♫ Even while we sleep ♫
♫ We will find you ♫
♫ Acting on your best behavior ♫
♫ Turn your back on mother nature ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
♫ It's my own design ♫
♫ It's my own remorse ♫
♫ Help me to decide ♫
♫ Help me make the most ♫
♫ Of freedom and of pleasure ♫
♫ Nothing ever lasts forever ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
♫ There's a room where the light won't find you ♫
♫ Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down ♫
♫ When they do I'll be right behind you ♫
♫ So glad we've almost made it ♫
♫ So sad they had to fade it ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
♫ I can't stand this indecision ♫
♫ Married with a lack of vision ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
♫ Say that you'll never, never, never, never need it ♫
♫ One headline why believe it? ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
♫ All for freedom and for pleasure ♫
♫ Nothing ever lasts forever ♫
♫ Everybody wants to rule the world ♫
