Fernand Braudel had the biggest impact on how I think about history and the creation of the modern world:

In particular his focus on the structures of every day life:

https://www.amazon.com/Structures-Everyday-Life-Civilization...

And his focus on the importance of trade among the different parts of the world:

https://www.amazon.com/Perspective-World-Civilization-Capita...

More here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Braudel