Tag: exploration

  • Astoria by Peter Stark

    Astoria by Peter Stark

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Astoria: This has nothing to do with the Goonies. Sorry. Quick synopsis: The story of John Jacob Astor trying to populate the Pacific Northwest and monopolize the fur trade in the area. Fact for Non-History People: Astoria, Oregon is named after John Jacob Astor. He never stepped foot there. Too busy…

  • Champlain’s Dream by David Hackett Fisher

    Champlain’s Dream by David Hackett Fisher

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Champlain’s Dream: Apparently, you didn’t need to be a genocidal madman to start a new colony. Quick synopsis: The founding of New France by Samuel de Champlain. Fact for Non-History People: Saint John, New Brunswick was established before Jamestown and Plymouth. Fact for History Nerds: Samuel de Champlain’s burial site is…

  • The Last Island by Adam Goodheart

    The Last Island by Adam Goodheart

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Last Island: Leave them alone. Quick synopsis: The story of North Sentinel Island and the isolated tribe that calls it home. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Andaman Island chain contains nearly 600 islands and thousands of species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Fun Fact for…

  • The Explorers by Amanda Bellows

    The Explorers by Amanda Bellows

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Explorers: The story of people who refused to sit still. Quick synopsis: A look at different explorers who are often overlooked in history. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Daniel Boone never wore a coonskin cap. He probably wore a beaver hat. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Sacagawea had an…

  • Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson

    Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Paradise of the Damned: Europeans loved falling for the old “city of gold” trick. Quick synopsis: The story of Sir Walter Raleigh’s obsession with El Dorado. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Columbus’s first voyage covered 3,700 miles in 36 days of sailing. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The Orinoco River…

  • Throne of Grace by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury

    Throne of Grace by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Throne of Grace: Life without a map. Quick synopsis: The story of one of America’s forgotten explorers, Jedediah Smith. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Arithmetic used to be called ciphering in schools. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Between 1700 and 1822, European markets purchased nearly forty million pieces of beaver…

  • The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

    The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Wide Wide Sea: Retire before the job kills you. Quick synopsis: The final voyage of legendary explorer Captain James Cook. Fact for Non-History People: Cook’s second circumnavigation of the globe took 1,100 days and about 100,000 nautical miles. Fact for History Nerds: Cook never had a sailor die of scurvy…

  • The Ship Beneath the Ice by Mensun Bound

    The Ship Beneath the Ice by Mensun Bound

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Ship Beneath the Ice: Ok, I’d get on a boat for something like this. Quick synopsis: The story of finding Shackleton’s ship, Endurance. Fact for Non-History People: In the last 35 years, the Adelie penguin population has decreased 80%. SAVE THE PENGUINS!! Fact for History Nerds: Due to salinity, seawater…

  • Battle of Ink and Ice by Darrell Hartman

    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…