Try two of Daniel Boorstin's series
The Discoverers - "Daniel J. Boorstin first describes the liberating concept of time--"the first grand discovery"--and continues through the age of exploration and the advent of the natural and social sciences. The approach is idiosyncratic, with Boorstin lingering over particular figures and accomplishments rather than rushing on to the next set of names and dates."
The Creators - "This is a story," he writes, "of how creators in all the arts have enlarged, embellished, fantasized, and filigreed our experience"
Both are fantastic books that aren't traditional history books. When I read The Creators I had to have a pad of paper with me to write down all the other books I needed to read that I learned about from this book.
And finally a great book that I can't reccomend enough. Richard Rhodes award winning:
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
This should be required reading of anyone seeking to understand the history of the mid-20th century.