Tag: European history
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The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: This Cream has gone bad. (I’ll see myself out.) Quick synopsis: The story of Victorian era serial killer, Dr. Thomas Neil Cream. Fact for Non-History People: Crime was so bad in one area of London during this time that instead of Waterloo Station people…
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Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Young Queens: The Kardashians are amateurs compared to these people. Quick synopsis: The story of the early lives of Catherine de Medici, Mary Queen of Scots, and Elisabeth de Valois. Fact for Non-History People: King Francis of France stayed in the room the night of the marriage of Catherine de Medici…
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The Angel Makers by Patti McCracken
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Angel Makers: Don’t trust Auntie. Quick synopsis: A true crime story about a poisoning ring in 1920s Hungary. Fun Fact for Non-History People: An old test for finding out if someone was poisoned was combining copper, acid, and a sliver of organ tissue from the victim. If it turned black…
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The Wager by David Grann
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Wager: Maybe the mutineers had a point. Quick synopsis: The story of the shipwreck and mutiny on the HMS Wager. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: If you were the captain of an English ship and it sank, you were automatically given a court martial. Well, assuming you survived. Fun…
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Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Empress of the Nile: It is way easier to acquire an ancient temple than I thought. Quick synopsis: The story of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, a trailblazing archaeologist and preserver of Egyptian treasures. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: More than 1.25 million people went to the Louvre to see King Tut’s treasures.…
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Dunkirchen 1940 by Robert Kershaw
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dunkirchen 1940: Let’s see how the Germans messed this up. Quick synopsis: A look at the events leading up to the Battle of Dunkirk from the German point of view. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Never forget that Germany was still using horse drawn artillery at the beginning of World…
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The Greatest Knight by Thomas Asbridge
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Oh look, an actual knight. Quick synopsis: A complete biography of William Marshal of England. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: William Marshal served five separate kings: Henry II, the “Young King” Henry, Richard I the Lionheart, John (yes, THAT King John), and Henry III. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Marshal…
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Island on Fire by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Island on Fire: Who would have thought little Iceland could cause so much trouble? Quick synopsis: The story of Laki, the volcano in Iceland which erupted in the 18th century and messed a lot of stuff up. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Krakatau erupted in 1883, it sent out…
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Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Woman, Captain, Rebel: I would not recommend living in Iceland in the 1800s. Quick synopsis: The life of Captain Thurídur, Iceland’s most famous female sea captain, in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1783, a massive volcanic eruption decimated Iceland which would ultimately kill…