Tag: World history
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Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Useless Etymology: Useless, but fun! Quick synopsis: The wild and wonderful history of English words. Fact for Non-History People: “Hello” didn’t become a standard greeting until 1876. Fact for History Nerds: “Factoid” used to mean “fake news” basically. Now it means fun fact. Life is weird. My Take on Useless Etymology:…
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Ghosted by Alice Vernon
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Ghosted: Quick synopsis: A look at the history of ghost hunting including the charlatans and the unbelievers. Fact for Non-History People: A Gallup poll in 2005 of 1,000 found that 73% believed in some kind of paranormal activity. Fact for History Nerds: 32% of those people believed in ghosts, specifically. …
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Freedom Ship by Marcus Rediker
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Freedom Ship: If you can’t run, sail. Quick synopsis: A look at the Underground Railroad but from a maritime perspective. Fact for Non-History People: If you broke the original Fugitive Slave Law, you might get a fine of around $15,000 in today’s dollars. Later, the penalties increased a lot. Fact for…
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How To Be A Saint by Kate Sidley
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for How To Be A Saint: Difficulty Level: No thanks. Quick synopsis: A humorous look at the sometimes whacky ways to become a saint in Catholicism. Fact for Non-History People: There used to be a person in the canonization of saints process called the Devil’s Advocate who basically listed all the reasons…
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Dark Brilliance by Paul Strathern
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dark Brilliance: Darkest before the dawn. Quick synopsis: A look at the Age of Reason through various artists. Fact for Non-History People: By the end of the Thirty Years War, the population of Europe decreased by 10%. Fact for History Nerds: Proportionally, more people in Europe died during the Thirty Years…
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The Boys in the Light by Nina Willner
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Boys in the Light: No finer company. Quick synopsis: The story of the intersection between some American soldiers in World War II and the author’s father, a concentration camp survivor. Fact for Non-History People: Germany had over 1,000 concentration camps. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 1.65 million people were kept…
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Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Embers of the Hands: Vikings: They’re just like us! Quick synopsis: A look at the everyday lives of Vikings. Fact for Non-History People: Vikings were actually relatively clean people especially when it came to their hair. Fact for History Nerds: Most Viking boots were made of goatskin. My Take on…
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Monsterland by Nicholas Jubber
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Monsterland: Exactly what you want it to be. Quick synopsis: A look at the origins of history’s greatest monsters. Fact for Non-History People: One of the possible origins for vampires can be found in a Russian text from 1047. Fact for History Nerds: Mary Shelley was only 18 when she wrote…
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Nothing but Courage by James Donovan
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Nothing but Courage: One of the few reasons to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Quick synopsis: The 82nd Airborne’s mission on D-Day. Fact for Non-History People: The American airborne forces would comprise 13,000 paratroopers and 4,000 men delivered by gliders. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 2,500 American paratroopers would…