The Pessimist's Guide to History

The Pessimist's Guide to History PDF Author: Doris Flexner
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061980250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515

Get Book Here

Book Description
The classic irreverent look at the past—now updated with even more appalling facts! Fourteen billion or so years ago, the Big Bang exploded—and it's been downhill from there. For every spectacular discovery throughout history, there have been hundreds of devastating epidemics; for every benevolent despot, a thousand like Vlad the Impaler; for every cup half-full, a larger cup half-empty. This enthralling, enlightening, and devilishly entertaining chronicle of disasters and dastardly deeds brings to light the darkest events in history and the most abysmal calamities to strike the planet . . . so far. 88 BC: Mithridates VI Eupator provides an early example of genocide by massacring 100,000 Romans. 1347: Saint Vitus' Dance Epidemic shimmies across Europe like a deadly disco fever, leaving its victims twitching, uncontrollably leaping, and foaming at the mouth. 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks through the dark alleys of Whitechapel, England, turning the world's oldest profession into the world's most dangerous one. 1939: A Swiss chemist wins a Nobel Prize for developing DDT—and the environment gets another nail in the coffin. 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast. In a classic double whammy, the government response also devastates the Gulf Coast. And much, much more!

The Pessimist's Guide to History

The Pessimist's Guide to History PDF Author: Doris Flexner
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061980250
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 515

Get Book Here

Book Description
The classic irreverent look at the past—now updated with even more appalling facts! Fourteen billion or so years ago, the Big Bang exploded—and it's been downhill from there. For every spectacular discovery throughout history, there have been hundreds of devastating epidemics; for every benevolent despot, a thousand like Vlad the Impaler; for every cup half-full, a larger cup half-empty. This enthralling, enlightening, and devilishly entertaining chronicle of disasters and dastardly deeds brings to light the darkest events in history and the most abysmal calamities to strike the planet . . . so far. 88 BC: Mithridates VI Eupator provides an early example of genocide by massacring 100,000 Romans. 1347: Saint Vitus' Dance Epidemic shimmies across Europe like a deadly disco fever, leaving its victims twitching, uncontrollably leaping, and foaming at the mouth. 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks through the dark alleys of Whitechapel, England, turning the world's oldest profession into the world's most dangerous one. 1939: A Swiss chemist wins a Nobel Prize for developing DDT—and the environment gets another nail in the coffin. 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast. In a classic double whammy, the government response also devastates the Gulf Coast. And much, much more!

The Pessimist's Guide to History

The Pessimist's Guide to History PDF Author: Stuart Berg Flexner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chronology, Historical
Languages : en
Pages : 387

Get Book Here

Book Description


I Hate This Place

I Hate This Place PDF Author: Jimmy Fallon
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 044655359X
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Get Book Here

Book Description
From the Grammy-nominated star of Saturday Night Live and his equally talented sister comes a delightfully cynical look at life through a half-full glass. I HATE THIS PLACE is the book for anyone who’s ever tired of crossing to the sunny side of the street, looking for that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or reading self-help books that are meant to bring peace and prosperity. Guaranteed to shatter illusions, extinguish all hope, and keep the jaded and the disgruntled laughing all the way, it is filled with such daily “affirmations” as “If you don’t have anything nice to say, welcome to the club,” and advice like “Knock, and the door shall be slammed in your face.” Rife with the wit and wisdom of Jimmy Fallon and his sister Gloria, this book promises to tickle the funny bone of the pessimist in everyone.

The Pessimist's Guide to History

The Pessimist's Guide to History PDF Author: Doris Flexner
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006095745X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 452

Get Book Here

Book Description
The classic look at the past with a very jaundiced eye-now updated with even more disheartening facts! The original "irreverent jaunt through the catastrophes, cataclysms and outrages that shaped our world" has sold more than 73,000 copies. This updated edition takes us from the Big Bang (it was an explosion, after all) to the turn of the millennium, with more than 10,000 new words and 100 new entries that chronicle the disasters, bad decisions, and downright evil events that have taken place since September 1991 (the last entry in the first book). With a light but informative tone and a handy timeline of events, this is addictively friendly fare for those who want a different--some might argue more intriguing-view of history.

A Patriot's History of the United States

A Patriot's History of the United States PDF Author: Larry Schweikart
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698173635
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 1005

Get Book Here

Book Description
For the past three decades, many history professors have allowed their biases to distort the way America’s past is taught. These intellectuals have searched for instances of racism, sexism, and bigotry in our history while downplaying the greatness of America’s patriots and the achievements of “dead white men.” As a result, more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than on George Washington; more about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II than about D-Day or Iwo Jima; more on the dangers we faced from Joseph McCarthy than those we faced from Josef Stalin. A Patriot’s History of the United States corrects those doctrinaire biases. In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history.

The Pessimist's Guide to History 3e

The Pessimist's Guide to History 3e PDF Author: Doris Flexner
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: 9780061431012
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The classic irreverent look at the past—now updated with even more appalling facts! Fourteen billion or so years ago, the Big Bang exploded—and it's been downhill from there. For every spectacular discovery throughout history, there have been hundreds of devastating epidemics; for every benevolent despot, a thousand like Vlad the Impaler; for every cup half-full, a larger cup half-empty. This enthralling, enlightening, and devilishly entertaining chronicle of disasters and dastardly deeds brings to light the darkest events in history and the most abysmal calamities to strike the planet . . . so far. 88 BC: Mithridates VI Eupator provides an early example of genocide by massacring 100,000 Romans. 1347: Saint Vitus' Dance Epidemic shimmies across Europe like a deadly disco fever, leaving its victims twitching, uncontrollably leaping, and foaming at the mouth. 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks through the dark alleys of Whitechapel, England, turning the world's oldest profession into the world's most dangerous one. 1939: A Swiss chemist wins a Nobel Prize for developing DDT—and the environment gets another nail in the coffin. 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast. In a classic double whammy, the government response also devastates the Gulf Coast. And much, much more!

Reader's Guide to British History

Reader's Guide to British History PDF Author: David Loades
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000144364
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 4319

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Reader's Guide to British History is the essential source to secondary material on British history. This resource contains over 1,000 A-Z entries on the history of Britain, from ancient and Roman Britain to the present day. Each entry lists 6-12 of the best-known books on the subject, then discusses those works in an essay of 800 to 1,000 words prepared by an expert in the field. The essays provide advice on the range and depth of coverage as well as the emphasis and point of view espoused in each publication.

Reader's Guide to Military History

Reader's Guide to Military History PDF Author: Charles Messenger
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135959773
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 2817

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book contains some 600 entries on a range of topics from ancient Chinese warfare to late 20th-century intervention operations. Designed for a wide variety of users, it encompasses general reviews of aspects of military organization and science, as well as specific wars and conflicts. The book examines naval and air warfare, as well as significant individuals, including commanders, theorists, and war leaders. Each entry includes a listing of additional publications on the topic, accompanied by an article discussing these publications with reference to their particular emphases, strengths, and limitations.

The History of almost Everything. Practical guide of the eaters of Time

The History of almost Everything. Practical guide of the eaters of Time PDF Author: Lim Word
Publisher: Litres
ISBN: 5040864108
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 1779

Get Book Here

Book Description
Was Sulla before Spartacus or vice versa? Nero – before or after Caligula? What are the dynasties of the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns, what role did they play at the founding of the Second Reich? How many tanks went into battle near Prokhorovka? When the Yom Kippur War broke out and who won it? Why did the great USSR collapse? Let’s remember everything that once touched us, we will look through the film of time, frame by frame, so that to make everything right today.

Shooting Arrows and Slinging Mud

Shooting Arrows and Slinging Mud PDF Author: James E. Mueller
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806151072
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book Here

Book Description
The defeat of George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn was big news in 1876. Newspaper coverage of the battle initiated hot debates about whether the U.S. government should change its policy toward American Indians and who was to blame for the army’s loss—the latter, an argument that ignites passion to this day. In Shooting Arrows and Slinging Mud, James E. Mueller draws on exhaustive research of period newspapers to explore press coverage of the famous battle. As he analyzes a wide range of accounts—some grim, some circumspect, some even laced with humor—Mueller offers a unique take on the dramatic events that so shook the American public. Among the many myths surrounding the Little Bighorn is that journalists of that time were incompetent hacks who, in response to the stunning news of Custer’s defeat, called for bloodthirsty revenge against the Indians and portrayed the “boy general” as a glamorous hero who had suffered a martyr’s death. Mueller argues otherwise, explaining that the journalists of 1876 were not uniformly biased against the Indians, and they did a credible job of describing the battle. They reported facts as they knew them, wrote thoughtful editorials, and asked important questions. Although not without their biases, journalists reporting on the Battle of the Little Bighorn cannot be credited—or faulted—for creating the legend of Custer’s Last Stand. Indeed, as Mueller reveals, after the initial burst of attention, these journalists quickly moved on to other stories of their day. It would be art and popular culture—biographies, paintings, Wild West shows, novels, and movies—that would forever embed the Last Stand in the American psyche.