Ask HN: Books to better understand the world?

I spend a lot of time in the startup bubble, and seldom find people to discuss/learn about other areas, such as history and psychology explaining why country X did Y at that time, or why Z works that way, or why person A reacted like that (or will react like this if you do this).

What are some books/articles/documentaries that you found useful to broaden your world understanding in an engaging way? History, psychology, science...

Personal examples:

* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

* Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely

* A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

* The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

* Why the West Rules—for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future by Ian Morris

* What a Wonderful World: One Man's Attempt to Explain the Big Stuff by Marcus Chown

* The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life by Nick Lane