Tag: World history
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Spare Parts by Paul Craddock
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Spare Parts: The “spare” part is very misleading. Generally, the owner still needed them. Quick synopsis: The history of transplants from the first skin grafts to the present day. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The first target of a transplant? The skin or specifically the nose. How? Oh, you just…
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The Fairy Tellers by Nicholas Jubber
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Fairy Tellers: Fairy tales are way more messed up than you remember. Quick synopsis: A look at some of the famous original fairy tellers in history. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There’s a fairy tale called Hans My Hedgehog. He rides a rooster and stabs a princess with his…
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Operation Vengeance by Dan Hampton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Operation Vengeance: It does not pay to sneak attack the U.S. Quick synopsis: The story of the mission to kill Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Isoroku Yamamoto intended to attack Pearl Harbor after Japan announced formal declaration of…
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The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Terrible Hours: As if you needed more reasons not to go on a submarine. Quick synopsis: The story of the rescue of the crewmen on the submarine Squalus in 1939. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Until about the mid-1930s, if your submarine had a problem, you were going to…
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Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Shadow Divers: Damn Nazis are still causing problems. Quick synopsis: The discovery and attempts to identify an unknown Nazi sub off New Jersey in 1991. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Back in 1991, when the book takes place, a diver could only be at a wreck for about 20 minutes…
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The Agitator by Peter Duffy
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Agitator: Commies vs. Nazis. Who ya got? Quick synopsis: The story of William Bailey who boarded a German luxury liner and threw the swastika flag into the Hudson River. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Everyone knows that the Nazis hated the Jews. What most people don’t realize is that…
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The Ghost Ships of Archangel by William Geroux
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Ghost Ships of Archangel: Stalin was kind of a jerk? You don’t say. Quick synopsis: The story of PQ-17, a World War II supplies convoy headed for Russia. The convoy needed to pass across German occupied seas, and it goes…. badly. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Technological limitations lead…
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Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story: Age old story of a beautiful actress who gets bored and invents something. Quick synopsis: The life of Hedy Lamarr, actress, producer, and inventor it turns out. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: She sued because the name of the woman in Blazing Saddles was named…
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The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Road to Jonestown: Drink this Kool-Aid! The book I mean. Quick synopsis: The story of Jim Jones from his childhood to Jonestown and the mass suicide of over 900 people. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid,” as a saying is because of this story. 900 people…