Tag: disaster
-
Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Madhouse at the End of the Earth: Belgium tried to do what? Quick summary: The voyage of the Belgica, a ship from Belgium intent on Antarctic discovery in 1897. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Antarctic Giant Petrel’s defense mechanism is to puke on you. It smells really bad apparently.…
-
The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Terrible Hours: As if you needed more reasons not to go on a submarine. Quick synopsis: The story of the rescue of the crewmen on the submarine Squalus in 1939. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Until about the mid-1930s, if your submarine had a problem, you were going to…
-
The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch by Gill Hoffs
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch: A chronicle of how much the 19th century sucked. Quick synopsis: The story of the sinking of the Ocean Monarch in 1848. The ship was an emigrant ship headed for Boston and caught fire soon after leaving port. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:…
-
The Great Mortality by John Kelly
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great Mortality: If you think the coronavirus sucks… Quick synopsis: A look at the Black Death as it raged across Europe. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In Italy, some towns saw over an 80% death rate. Think of 10 of your neighbors. 8 of them would have been dead…
-
Icebound by Andrea Pitzer
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Icebound: You should probably take warm clothes with you to the Arctic. Quick synopsis: The voyages of Dutch Explorer William Barents in attempts to find the Northeast Passage. No, not the Northwest Passage, the Northeast Passage. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: People used to believe geese were magical creatures because…
-
Triangle by David Von Drehle
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Triangle: This is why we have fire safety requirements. Quick synopsis: The story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. It is one of the worst industrial disasters in the history of the US and one of the main reasons for a lot of major reforms. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:…
-
A Furious Sky by Eric Jay Dolin
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Furious Sky: Don’t live in Florida. Or Texas. It’s science. Quick synopsis: The 500-year history of hurricanes in America. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When hurricanes started being given proper names, they were only women’s names. It led to some rather hilarious adjectives being attributed to storms like “moody.”…
-
Antarctica by David Day
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Antarctica: I really want to go here. Someone want to make a donation? Quick synopsis: The story of Antarctica from the 1770s to today. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Antarctica is a desert. It hasn’t rained there in 2 million years. Go ahead, check my work. Fun Fact for History…
-
Labyrinth of Ice by Buddy Levy
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Labyrinth of Ice: Just don’t go to the Arctic. It’s a bad idea. Quick synopsis: The story of the Greely Polar Expedition in 1881. It went badly. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: You don’t get a cold in the Arctic. The lack of people and germs means you just won’t…