Showing results by author "Jeffrey K. Smith" in All Categories

This a biography of rock and roll pioneer, Buddy Holly, who died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. In his 18 month professional career, he was an innovative singer, musician, and song-writer. His musical is enduring nearly six decades after his death. Holly was a talented singer and musician, as well as a prolific song-writer and budding record producer. He was truly an early pioneer of rock and roll. Holly's premature death leaves the great unanswered question: What if?

"Rendezvous in Dallas: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy" was orginally published in 2009. Since that time, a number of readers have inquired about the publication of a second edition, with additional details about the characters and events in this real life drama. With the 50th anniversary of this tragedy rapidly approaching, the timing seems appropriate for a revised edition. This book chronicles one of the most unforgettable weekends in the 20th century. On November 22, 1963, a misanthropic, self-proclaimed Marxist named Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy on the ...

To date, only four American Presidents have been murdered--Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Were it not for the murderous acts of four men, Ford's Theater, the Baltimore & Potomac Depot, the Temple of Music, and the Texas School Book Depository would have never gained the attention of historians. Presidential assassins, John Wilkes Booth, Charles Julius Guiteau, Leon Frank Czolgosz, and Lee Harvey Oswald left indelible stains on those buildings, as well as the annals of history. On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth fired a derringer into the back of ...

"Fire in the Sky" is concise history of the Manhattan Project, which resulted in the development of the world's first nuclear weapon. It details the discovery of the mighty power of the atom and its transformation into a weapon of mass destruction. The events preceding the use of the two atomic bombs against Japan to end World II are analyzed, as well as the ramifications of living in a post-nuclear world.

"A Pea River Progeny: Alabama's Colorful and Controversial Governor James E. "Big Jim" Folsom chronicles the life of a 20th century Deep South politician who left behind a memorable legacy. A Populist who appealed to the common folks, Folsom directly bypassed the state's powerful, long-standing political machine and local power brokers to twice win the Governorship. He was devoted to helping the often-overlooked and less affluent residents of Alabama. Folsom's Progressive but largely unpopular views on civil rights were far ahead of his time. The biography of Folsom is filled with early- to...

Few people outside of South Carolina are familiar with the name of, much less the role, James F. Byrnes played in shaping 20th century America. He is the only man in the history of the United States to occupy positions in all three federal government branches--executive, congressional, and judicial. From pre-World War I through the 1960s, Byrnes was an influential legislator, supreme court justice, and intimate adviser to presidents. “The Assistant President: South Carolina’s James F. Byrnes” chronicles the life and times of an important but often forgotten public servant.