Month: December 2019

  • My Personal History: 2019

    My Personal History: 2019

    On the eve of 2020, I wanted to put up a personal post recapping my own history this year. It can be hard to summarize a whole year of someone’s life. Luckily, I have been thinking about it for a while and I think I can do it. 2019, you sucked. That may seem harsh…

  • My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 4)

    My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 4)

    Lafayette was due a major vacation and he decided now was the time to head home. There was a minor problem which needed to be dealt with, however. When he last left France, the king told him not to go. And he went anyway. Surely, there would be hell to pay when he returned. Nope,…

  • The Girl on the Velvet Swing by Simon Baatz

    The Girl on the Velvet Swing by Simon Baatz

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Girl on the Velvet Swing: A whole lotta crazy going on. Quick synopsis: A true crime story from the early 1900s. A famous architect rapes a woman and he is later murdered publicly by the woman’s husband. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Stanford White was a famous architect who…

  • My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 3)

    My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 3)

    It was a legendary bromance that would echo through the ages. George Washington and the Marquis. It started like all great stories, at a pub. George was introduced to the Marquis and to say Lafayette was star struck would be underselling it. The Marquis was already completely taken with the American cause and Washington was…

  • Nitro by Guy Evans

    Nitro by Guy Evans

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Nitro: “He’s reviewing a professional wrestling book? I told you this guy was white trash.” Quick synopsis: A look into the rise of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) when it took on the Word Wrestling Entertainment (WWE formerly WWF). Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: You think wrestling is just for white…

  • My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 2)

    My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette (Part 2)

    The Marquis heard about the American Revolution and immediately fell in love. I mean that almost literally. He would expound upon the cause of liberty for the colonies and would wear people out with his fire and passion. And since he was rich, he decided to do something most people couldn’t. He bought a boat.…

  • A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

    A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Night to Remember: Better than the movie. Certainly shorter. Quick synopsis: The classic retelling of the sinking of the Titanic. Enough said. This book was used as reference material for James Cameron when he wrote Titanic. Walter Lord wrote it in 1955. I believe that’s the definition of timeless. Fun…

  • My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette

    My Favorite History: The Marquis de Lafayette

    Ever heard of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier? How about the Marquis? Still no? How about any of the literally dozens of places named either Fayette, Lafayette, or Fayetteville? All of these places are named after one man who is my favorite historical figure. He is the Marquis de Lafayette and he is…

  • A Wretched and Precarious Situation – David Welky

    A Wretched and Precarious Situation – David Welky

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Wretched and Precarious Situation: Wretched and precarious for them, fun for us. Quick synopsis: The story of the Crocker Land expedition where Artic explorers went in search of Crocker Land first glimpsed but unexplored by a previous expedition. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Go to a map and find…