In wealthy countries, the average worker now works roughly half as many hours per year as workers did in the late nineteenth century. The decline came in steps: long workweeks of six or more days gave way to five-day weeks, daily hours fell, and paid holidays and annual leave became standard. Rising productivity made it possible to produce the same goods in less time, and labour movements campaigned for shorter days. Hours have fallen in most rich countries, though the pace and the total differ from place to place.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.