Monday, September 16, 2013

Some History Miscellanea

These interesting books which are overlooked possibly because they have unusual themes. Lucy's Bones uses historical artifacts to tell history stories. Unsolved Mysteries of American History examines mystifying events. Lost to Time looks at some of the stories left out of history books. Cleopatra's Nose  are essay's by historian Daniel J. Boorstin illustrating specific historical subjects. The Weather Factor look at how weather has shaped historic events.

Lucy's Bones, Sacred Stones and Einstein's Brain: The Remarkable Stories behind the

Great Objects and Artifacts of History, From Antiquity to the Modern Era
     by
Harvey Rachlin
A series of historical vignettes which illuminate the story connected with some 50 relics dating from antiquity to the present. The relics range from the Shroud of Turin and Anne Frank's diary to George Washington's false teeth.




Unsolved Mysteries of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey through 500 Years of Discoveries, Disappearances, and Baffling Events 
     by Paul Aron

Unsolved Mysteries of American History re-creates the most mystifying events of our past, following some of our greatest historians as they search for the elusive answers. Spanning more than five centuries, from Leif Ericsson and Columbus through Watergate and Iran-Contra, Aron makes sense of all the latest discoveries and speculations. Here is everything you could ever want from a detective story: dramatic twists and turns, intellectual challenges, frustrating dead-ends, murderous mayhem, and thrilling espionage

Lost to Time: Unforgettable Stories That History Forgot

     by Martin W. Sandler
Were the Wright brothers the first to fly? Did Paul Revere perform the most important midnight ride of the American Revolution? Was the Titanic the greatest peacetime maritime disaster? The answers may surprise you. From the medieval world to the epic battles of World War II, Lost to Time highlights a number of history's most fascinating and consequential, but unjustly forgotten people and events.



Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected
     by
Daniel J. Boorstin
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Discoverers demonstrates the truth behind the aphorism that if Cleopatra's nose had been shorter, the face of the world would have been changed. Boorstin goes on to uncover the elements of accident, improvisation and contradiction at the core of American institutions and beliefs.



The Weather Factor: How Nature Has Changed History
     by
Erik Durschmied

This absorbing & invigorating historical survey looks at the surprising & unexpected ways in which human history has been decisively altered at critical moments by the unaccountable whim of nature.  From the campaigns of the Roman legions in Central Europe to  U.S. forces in Vietnam the course of human events has often been decided by the elements.


Tyson

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