Tag: shipwrecks

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Sailing Alone by Richard King

    Sailing Alone by Richard King

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sailing Alone: I’d never do it, but here’s a book about it. Quick synopsis: Various stories about people sailing solo (mostly on purpose). Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In Western culture, solo sailing only becomes a thing during the late 1800s. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Storm petrels are also…

  • Left for Dead by Eric Jay Dolin

    Left for Dead by Eric Jay Dolin

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Left for Dead: Well, maybe they should have left the poor sea otters alone. Quick synopsis: The story of castaways left for dead in the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal with as many as…

  • In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides

    In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for In the Kingdom of Ice: Nobody wants to be king of this kingdom. Quick synopsis: An account of the U.S Arctic Expedition of 1879-1881. It…. didn’t go great. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: As late as this expedition, people still believed there was an open polar sea. Yes, in the…

  • Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher

    Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Too Much Sea for Their Decks: Never go on a Great Lake in November. Quick synopsis: A look at shipwrecks on Lake Superior. Fact for Non-History People: Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with 31,700 square miles of surface area. Fact for History Nerds: November shipwrecks on…

  • 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…

  • The Wager by David Grann

    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…

  • N-4 Down by Mark Piesing

    N-4 Down by Mark Piesing

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for N-4 Down: Airship in the Arctic? What could possibly go wrong? Quick synopsis: The story of Umberto Nobile’s attempt to explore the North Pole in an airship. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The first time Santa was said to live in the North Pole was by poet Thomas Nash in…