Tag: World history
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Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Alexander at the End of the World: Bro did not know when to go home. Quick synopsis: The story of Alexander the Great’s final 7 years. Fact for Non-History People: Alexander was never defeated in battle. Fact for History Nerds: Alexander named over 70 cities after himself. Self-obsessed much? Am I…
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Kinky History by Esmé Louise James
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Kinky History: It’s history. But sexy. Quick synopsis: A look at the history of sex and how humans talked about it. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Seriously, go back and read Shakespeare. Dude was filthy. Fun Fact for History Nerds: James Joyce wrote many things to his wife about her……
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Taking London by Martin Dugard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking London: Sometimes it takes an island. Quick synopsis: The story of the Battle of Britain through the eyes of four Allied pilots. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Nazi Party grew from just a small movement in 1920 to about 400,000 people by World War II. Fun Fact for…
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When the Sea Came Alive by Garrett Graff
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for When the Sea Came Alive: D-Day in their own words. Quick synopsis: On oral history of D-Day from various records of the people who lived it. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Nearly 133,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Fun Fact for History Nerds: By June 30th, over 850,000 men, 148,000…
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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…
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Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island by John Bruning
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: This was no island vacation. Quick synopsis: The story of the U.S. Marine pilots at Guadalcanal in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1942, a filet mignon was only $1.90 in D.C. restaurants. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Brewster, a plane manufacturer,…
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Patton’s Prayer by Alex Kershaw
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Patton’s Prayer: Because weather shouldn’t ruin your day or keep you from winning World War II. Quick synopsis: The story of General George Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Patton had to repeat a year at West Point because he failed math. (Even I…
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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…
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Vagabond Princess by Ruby Lal
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Vagabond Princess: Her Instagram account would have been awesome. Quick synopsis: The biography of Mughal Princess and writer Gulbadan Begum from the 1500s. Fact for Non-History People: Royal couriers were super-fast back in the day. A good rider with a solid horse could cover around 350 miles on a great…