Tag: World history
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The Greatest Nobodies of History by Adrian Bliss
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Greatest Nobodies of History: Find out what the ferret thinks. Quick synopsis: Stories told from the point of view of the people (and animals!) often overlooked in history. Fact for Non-History People: Yes, there used to be a position called “groom of the stool” and yes, it is what…
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Abandoned Towns by Chris McNab
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Abandoned Towns: Imagine going trick or treating here. Quick synopsis: A look at abandoned towns around the world. Fact for Non-History People: There are approximately 3,800 ghost towns in the U.S. alone. Fact for History Nerds: Arguably, the most famous ghost town is Pripyat, Ukraine where the Chernobyl Nuclear Station…
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The World in Books by Kenneth Davis
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The World in Books: Bet you can’t read just one! Quick synopsis: Kenneth Davis’s list of the best and most important 52 short non-fiction books of all time. Fact for Non-History People: The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest written story in history. Fact for History Nerds: Sun Tzu may…
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Reaping the Whirlwind by Dominic Etzold
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Reaping the Whirlwind: More reasons never to go in a submarine. Quick synopsis: A look at the submarine war in World War I off the coast of the U.S. Fact for Non-History People: Only 5 German subs made it across the Atlantic to the U.S. coast during World War I as…
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The Stalin Affair by Giles Milton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Stalin Affair: Romancing Uncle Joe. Quick synopsis: A look at the alliance between Stalin, Churchill, and FDR in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: A U.S. poll taken two days after the German invasion of the Soviet Union found that two-thirds of the country was against aiding Stalin. Fact…
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Adventures in Volcanoland by Tamsin Mather
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Adventures in Volcanoland: Big mountain go boom sometimes. Quick synopsis: A science travelogue by a seasoned volcanologist. Fact for Non-History People: The continents move at about the same rate of toenail growth. Fact for History Nerds: Radium is a million times more radioactive than uranium. My Take on Adventures in Volcanoland:…
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A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World by José Luis González Macías
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Brief Atlas of the Lighthouses at the End of the World: Long title, short book, tons of fun! Quick synopsis: A look at lighthouses…at the end of the world. So, the title, basically. Fact for Non-History People: The first lighthouse was of course Egypt’s Pharos of Alexandria, better know as…
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Twenty Years by Sune Engel Rasmussen
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Twenty Years: Plenty of rage to go around. Quick synopsis: A look at the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of various Afghans. Fact for Non-History People: In the 1980s, Afghans in Iran and Pakistan made up nearly half of the world’s population of refugees. Fact for History Nerds: The U.S.…
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The Horse by Timothy Winegard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Horse: Because without them, we’d have to walk. Like suckers. Quick synopsis: The story of the horse. Yes, the whole story. Fact for Non-History People: 99.99 percent of all species that have ever existed are extinct. Fact for History Nerds: Horses have been used in war for over 5,000 years.…