1421: The Year China Discovered The World

1421: The Year China Discovered The World PDF Author: Gavin Menzies
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0553815229
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
On 8 March 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. The ships, some nearly five hundred feet long, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was 'to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas' and unite the world in Confucian harmony. Their journey would last for over two years and take them around the globe but by the time they returned home, China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world it had so recently embraced. And so the great ships were left to rot and the records of their journey were destroyed. And with them, the knowledge that the Chinese had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan, reached America seventy years before Columbus, and Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook... The result of fifteen years research, 1421 is Gavin Menzies' enthralling account of the voyage of the Chinese fleet, the remarkable discoveries he made and the persuasive evidence to support them: ancient maps, precise navigational knowledge, astronomy and the surviving accounts of Chinese explorers and the later European navigators as well as the traces the fleet left behind - from sunken junks to the votive offerings left by the Chinese sailors wherever they landed, giving thanks to Shao Lin, goddess of the sea. Already hailed as a classic, this is the story of an extraordinary journey of discovery that not only radically alters our understanding of world exploration but also rewrites history itself.

Menzies & Churchill at War

Menzies & Churchill at War PDF Author: David Day
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195535594
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
In 1941, in the midst of British defeats in Greece and the Middle East, a bitter conflict was taking place between two of the most charismatic leaders of the time, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Britain, and Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia. At issue were the conflicting demands of prosecuting the war while protecting the Empire--yet in later years both leaders sought to gloss over their violent division over the best course of action. Drawing on meticulous and original research into private papers and diaries, David Day outlines in highly readable fashion their fascinating struggle for power.

From Stray Dog to World War I Hero

From Stray Dog to World War I Hero PDF Author: Grant Hayter-Menzies
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 1612347924
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 252

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Book Description
On the streets of Paris one day in July 1918, an American doughboy, Sgt. Jimmy Donovan, befriended a stray dog that he named Rags. No longer an unwanted street mutt, Rags became the mascot to the entire First Division of the American Expeditionary Force and a friend to the American troops who had crossed the Atlantic to fight. Rags was more than a scruffy face and a wagging tail, however. The little terrier mix was with the division at the crucial battle of Soissons, at the Saint-Mihiel offensive, and finally in the blood-and-mud bath of the Meuse-Argonne, during which he and his guardian were wounded. Despite being surrounded by distraction and danger, Rags learned to carry messages through gunfire, locate broken communications wire for the Signal Corps to repair, and alert soldiers to incoming shells, saving the lives of hundreds of American soldiers. Through it all, he brought inspiration to men with little to hope for, especially in the bitter last days of the war. From Stray Dog to World War I Hero covers Rags's entire life story, from the bomb-filled years of war through his secret journey to the United States that began his second life, one just as filled with drama and heartache. In years of peace, Rags served as a reminder to human survivors of what held men together when pushed past their limits by the horrors of battle. Watch a book trailer.

1421: The Year China Discovered The World

1421: The Year China Discovered The World PDF Author: Gavin Menzies
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0553815229
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
On 8 March 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. The ships, some nearly five hundred feet long, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was 'to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas' and unite the world in Confucian harmony. Their journey would last for over two years and take them around the globe but by the time they returned home, China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world it had so recently embraced. And so the great ships were left to rot and the records of their journey were destroyed. And with them, the knowledge that the Chinese had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan, reached America seventy years before Columbus, and Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook... The result of fifteen years research, 1421 is Gavin Menzies' enthralling account of the voyage of the Chinese fleet, the remarkable discoveries he made and the persuasive evidence to support them: ancient maps, precise navigational knowledge, astronomy and the surviving accounts of Chinese explorers and the later European navigators as well as the traces the fleet left behind - from sunken junks to the votive offerings left by the Chinese sailors wherever they landed, giving thanks to Shao Lin, goddess of the sea. Already hailed as a classic, this is the story of an extraordinary journey of discovery that not only radically alters our understanding of world exploration but also rewrites history itself.

The Forgotten People

The Forgotten People PDF Author: Robert Menzies
Publisher: Connor Court Publishing Pty Limited
ISBN: 9781925501445
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
75th Anniversary Edition. First Published in 1943.

The Road to the Menzies Inquiry

The Road to the Menzies Inquiry PDF Author: Leslie Caplan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780987105592
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
"In 1986 the Nazi war crimes debate resurfaced in Australia, reignited by an investigative journalist, Mark Aarons. While Aarons investigated the public debate, Leslie Caplan moved it into the political arena. In his capacity as President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), he embarked on an overseas journey to discuss the renewed international efforts to bring Nazi war criminals to justice with the World Jewish Congress and his counterparts in the USA, Canada and Israel. Upon his return Leslie, known as the 'quiet achiever', began to lobby the Hawke government to take action."--Back cover.

Dark and Hurrying Days

Dark and Hurrying Days PDF Author: Robert Menzies
Publisher: National Library Australia
ISBN: 0642192855
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
Dark and Hurrying Days is the text of a diary kept by Robert Menzies, then Prime Minister of Australia, of his experiences during a wartime trip to England in 1941. It was a grim time when British cities were enduring heavy bombing and German invasion seemed imminent. Menzies' Diary reveals the shifting feelings and fears which these experiences engendered in him, and is of prime importance in capturing the brooding spirit of this grim time.

The Menzies Era

The Menzies Era PDF Author: John Howard
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 1743097972
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 540

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Book Description
An assessment of Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, by John Howard, Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, this is a significant, unique and fascinating history of the Menzies era - a time that laid the foundations for modern Australia. 'Engaging and revealing ... like a torchlight shone from an unexpected angle' Geoffrey Blainey, Weekend Australian Fresh from the success of his phenomenal bestselling memoir, LAZARUS RISING, which has sold over 100,000 copies, John Howard now turns his attention to one of the most extraordinary periods in Australian history, the Menzies era, canvassing the longest unbroken period of government for one side of politics in Australia's history. The monumental Sir Robert Menzies held power for a total of over 18 years, making him the longest-serving Australian Prime Minister. During his second term as Prime Minister, a term of over sixteen years - by far the longest unbroken tenure in that office - Menzies dominated Australian politics like no one else has ever done before or since, and these years laid the foundations for modern Australia. The Menzies era saw huge economic growth, social change and considerable political turmoil. Covering the impact of the great Labor split of 1955 as well as the recovery of the Labor Party under Whitlam's leadership in the late 1960s and the impact of the Vietnam War on Australian politics, this magisterial book offers a comprehensive assessment of the importance of the Menzies era in Australian life, history and politics. John Howard, only ten when Menzies rose to power, and in young adulthood when the Menzies era came to an end, saw Menzies as an inspiration and a role model. His unique insights and thoughtful analysis into Menzies the man, the politician, and his legacy make this a fascinating, highly significant book. 'This important book' Clive James, Times Literary Supplement

Menzies at War

Menzies at War PDF Author: Anne Henderson
Publisher: NewSouth
ISBN: 1742241794
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
In the months following his resignation as PM in late August 1941, Menzies swayed between relief at his release from the burdens of office as PM and despair that his life at the top had come to so little. Many followers of Australian political history, including Liberal party supporters, forget that Robert Menzies had many years in the political wilderness not knowing he would end up being Australia’s longest-serving prime minister. This book focuses on the period between 1941, when Menzies lost the prime-ministership, to 1949, when he regained it. In the interim he travelled around the world, spending an extended time in Britain during World War II, set up the Liberal Party and, the author argues, developed the leadership qualities that made him so successful. Anne Henderson refers to this time as his real political blooding.

Churchill's Man of Mystery

Churchill's Man of Mystery PDF Author: Gill Bennett
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134160348
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
Based on full access to official records, this text exposes the mysterious life and career of Desmond Morton, intelligence officer and personal adviser to Winston Churchill during the Second World War.

Australia's Own Cold War

Australia's Own Cold War PDF Author: Tom Sheridan
Publisher: Mup Academic
ISBN: 9780522853858
Category : Australia
Languages : en
Pages : 391

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Book Description
Tom Sheridan's authoritative account of the complex interplay between government, shipowners, management and waterside workers is a compelling tour de force of labour history. By focusing on the personalities, strategies and values of the players on all he challenges our understanding of the era and the issues.