Tag: American history
-
President Garfield by CW Goodyear
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for President Garfield: More than just an assassination. Quick synopsis: A full biography of President Garfield. Fact for Non-History People: By age 26, Garfield was married and a college president. Fact for History Nerds: Garfield never lost an election in his life. My Take on President Garfield: To be honest, I wondered…
-
Muscles & Mayhem (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Muscles & Mayhem: Like a human cannonball to my nostalgia bone. Quick synopsis: The story of the American Gladiators TV show. Fact for Non-History People: Before it got popular, the show used some cardboard cutouts to look like audience members. Fact for History Nerds: The second iteration of the show starred…
-
The Devil at His Elbow by Valerie Bauerlein
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Devil at His Elbow: Keeping murder in the family. Quick synopsis: The story of disgraced lawyer and killer, Alex Murdaugh. Fact for Non-History People: Hampton County, S.C. is named for a Confederate general who had been one of the South’s biggest slave owners. Fact for History Nerds: The Murdaugh family…
-
A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Well-Trained Wife: When you gotta go, you gotta go. Quick synopsis: The story of how Tia Levings left her abusive marriage. Fact for Non-History People: U.S. women couldn’t open their own bank accounts until 1960. Fact for History Nerds: They couldn’t get credit cards until 1974. My Take on A…
-
McMillions by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for McMillions: Happy Meal with a side of fraud. Quick synopsis: The story of how no one really won the Monopoly game at McDonald’s. Fact for Non-History People: McDonald’s executives are required to work at a restaurant for a week. Fact for History Nerds: The chances of winning one of the big…
-
Red Dead’s History by Tore Olsson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Red Dead’s History: When video games and history collide. Quick synopsis: A look at how historically accurate the video game Red Dead Redemption II is. Fact for Non-History People: Red Dead Redemption II has sold over fifty million copies and is in the top ten of bestselling video games ever. Fact…
-
The Devil Behind the Badge by Rick Jervis
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Devil Behind the Badge: 100% accurate title. Quick synopsis: The story of Border Patrol agent and serial killer Juan David Ortiz and his victims. Fact for Non-History People: By 2009, 12% of all military veterans who served in combat zones were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or acute stress. (Additional note:…
-
A Hunger to Kill by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Hunger to Kill: A one-way love story. Quick synopsis: The story of how Detective Kim Mager helped put away an Ohio serial killer. Fact for Non-History People: From 1992-2019, Ohio has had 505 victims of serial killers. Fact for History Nerds: In that same time period, California leads the U.S.…
-
L.A. Birdmen by Richard Goodrich
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for L.A. Birdmen: Like their aircraft, these people had at least one screw loose. Quick synopsis: The story of the first airshow in America. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The longest flight the Wright brothers accomplished on their first successful day flying was 59 seconds and a height of 852 feet.…