Tag: American history
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The Longest Minute by Matthew Davenport
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Longest Minute: Real estate prices aren’t the only reason not to move to San Fran. Quick synopsis: The story of the earthquake and fire which destroyed San Francisco in 1906. Fact for Non-History People: When it was all said and done, the earthquake and fire destroyed nearly 5 square miles.…
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To Rescue the Constitution by Bret Baier
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for To Rescue the Constitution: Oh look, we’ve always argued with each other. Quick synopsis: A look at how the U.S. Constitution survived because of George Washington. Fact for Non-History People: George Washington had no middle name. Fact for History Nerds: The story of Washington and the cherry tree was made up…
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Battle of Ink and Ice by Darrell Hartman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Battle of Ink and Ice: I’d rather go to the Arctic than a newsroom. Quick synopsis: The story of the newspaper wars around the expeditions to the North Pole by Robert Peary and Frederick Cook. Fact for Non-History People: For years, the New York Times was boring on purpose. Fact for…
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Flee North by Scott Shane
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Flee North: Thomas Smallwood is the KING of trolling 1800s slaveowners. Quick synopsis: The story of an extremely successful branch of the Underground Railroad in the 1840s. Fact for Non-History People: After helping slaves escape, Smallwood would write and articles that Torrey published mocking the slaveowners for “losing” their slaves. Again,…
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The Six by Loren Grush
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Six: Space: yet another place I have no intention of visiting. Quick synopsis: The story of the first six female astronauts at NASA. Fact for Non-History People: A totally of 8,079 people applied to be astronauts between 1976 and 1977. Fact for History Nerds: From 1950 to 1960, women represented…
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Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: You might kick her out, though. Quick synopsis: A memoir by standup comedian Maria Bamford. Fact for Non-History People: Maria puts an actual financial breakdown of what she makes for doing a show in the book. I’m not kidding. It’s a spreadsheet. Fact for History Nerds:…
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The Devils Will Get No Rest by James Conroy
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Devils Will Get No Rest: The Reality TV Reunion Show of World War II. Quick synopsis: The story of the Allied Casablanca Conference of World War II. Fact for Non-History People: FDR saw Churchill naked. No, I won’t explain it any further. Fact for History Nerds: During World War II,…
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Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Trail of the Lost: If you don’t have a plan, one may be made for you. Quick synopsis: The search for three missing hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Fact for Non-History People: The Pacific Crest Trail travels 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada. So, it can kill you by cold…
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Gallop Towards the Sun by Peter Stark
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Gallop Towards the Sun: Be careful trusting a dude with three first names. Quick synopsis: The story of Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison as they battled both literally and figuratively. Fact for Non-History People: Presidential trivia! William Henry Harrison is the shortest serving president since he gave a long inauguration speech…