Sometimes
you stumble upon a random fact of history that you feel like no one knows but you, and it’s a really awesome feeling. This just happened to me a few weeks ago as I was stuck in one of those internet wormholes that makes you forget to eat lunch on a lazy Sunday in your sweatpants—or is that just me?What I found is that a lot of important events have happened on exactly April 3, including one that didn’t seem that important at the time, one brief journey that would stick in the American consciousness forever, and one milestone that was far overdue. As always, I hope you enjoy these hidden gems…but more importantly, I hope you enjoy this beyond nerdy take on history as much as I do!
- Kyle, Audible editor
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Machine Made
- Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics
- By: Terry Golway
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades, history has considered Tammany Hall, New York's famous political machine, shorthand for the worst of urban politics: graft, crime, and patronage personified by notoriously corrupt characters. Infamous crooks like William "Boss" Tweed dominate traditional histories of Tammany, distorting our understanding of a critical chapter of American political history. In Machine Made, historian and New York City journalist Terry Golway convincingly dismantles these stereotypes.
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A missed opportunity
- By Kathy on 05-27-15
April 3, 1823
The legendary William Boss Tweed needs no introduction for political history buffs. He’s infamous, surely, but a legend nonetheless. Born on April 3, 1823, Tweed would become the poster boy for rampant, unchecked political corruption and would nearly bankrupt New York City during his tenure atop Tammany Hall with its machine-like control of the city’s Democratic party. Luckily, before he could bleed the city entirely dry, an enterprising cartoonist from Harper’s Weekly started drawing satirical illustrations that would eventually lead to Tweed’s downfall. And as the Tammany Boss said himself, My constituents don't know how to read, but they can't help seeing them damned pictures!
Go Inside the Machine
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West Like Lightning
- The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express
- By: Jim DeFelice
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
The thrilling narrative history of one of the most enduring icons of the American West, the Pony Express, from the number-one New York Times bestselling co-author of American Sniper - an exciting tale of daring young men pushing limits to the extremes across the vast, rugged, and unsettled American West.
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A Picture of Wild West Life and the Pony
- By Pierre C. on 08-07-18
April 3, 1860
Missouri to California in just 10 days! That was the promise of the Pony Express when its first rider dug in his spurs with a sack of five-cent letters on April 3, 1860. The odd reality of the Express, though, is that while it still looms large in the mythology of the great American West, it didn’t even last two years before it was shut down. You know how they say that video killed the radio star? (And by they I mean The Buggles.) Well, the telegraph killed the Pony Express. That’s kind of a bad joke, but I did make myself chuckle, so that’s all that really matters.
Saddle Up
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First
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- By: Evan Thomas
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
She was born in 1930 in El Paso and grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona. At a time when women were expected to be homemakers, she set her sights on Stanford University. When she graduated near the top of her law school class in 1952, no firm would even interview her. But Sandra Day O’Connor’s story is that of a woman who repeatedly shattered glass ceilings - doing so with a blend of grace, wisdom, humor, understatement, and cowgirl toughness.
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Remarkable woman, well served in this book.
- By KathrynVB on 04-05-19
April 3, 1995
Last, but absolutely not least, is a monumental day in the groundbreaking life and career of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor—someone I have a special soft spot for, as we are both Arizonans! Not only was Justice O’Connor the first woman to serve on the court, she also became the first woman in United States history to preside over the Supreme Court when she was sworn in on April 3, 1995. Iconic, full stop.
Hear About the First
New Releases
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Spies of No Country
- Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
- By: Matti Friedman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The four spies at the center of this story were part of a ragtag unit known as the Arab Section, conceived during World War II by British spies and Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Intended to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations, the unit consisted of Jews who were native to the Arab world and could thus easily assume Arab identities. In 1948, with Israel's existence in the balance during the War of Independence, our spies went undercover in Beirut, where they spent the next two years operating out of a kiosk....
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Absolutely brilliant
- By David Mane on 06-23-19
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A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing
- The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland
- By: DaMaris B. Hill
- Narrated by: Mia Ellis
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From Harriet Tubman to Assata Shakur, Ida B. Wells to Sandra Bland and Black Lives Matter, black women freedom fighters have braved violence, scorn, despair and isolation in order to lodge their protests. In A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing, DaMaris Hill honours their experiences with at times harrowing, at times hopeful responses to her heroes.
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Brilliant
- By Andrea Reynolds on 09-19-19
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Death in the Haymarket
- A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America
- By: James Green
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a Chicago labor rally, wounding dozens of policemen, seven of whom eventually died. A wave of mass hysteria swept the country, leading to a sensational trial that culminated in four controversial executions and dealt a blow to the labor movement from which it would take decades to recover. Historian James Green recounts the rise of the first great labor movement in the wake of the Civil War and brings to life an epic 20-year struggle for the eight-hour workday.
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A must for anyone who enjoys labor history
- By Taurus on 01-10-22
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América
- The Epic Story of Spanish North America, 1493-1898
- By: Robert Goodwin
- Narrated by: Thom Rivera
- Length: 20 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At the conclusion of the American Revolution, half the modern United States was part of the vast Spanish Empire. The year after Columbus' great voyage of discovery, in 1492, he claimed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Spain. For the next 300 years, thousands of proud Spanish conquistadors and their largely forgotten Mexican allies went in search of glory and riches from Florida to California. Many died; few triumphed. Some were cruel; some were curious; some were kind. Missionaries and priests yearned to harvest Indian souls for God through baptism and Christian teaching.
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A Narration That is Difficult to Follow
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-19
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Spies of No Country
- Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
- By: Matti Friedman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The four spies at the center of this story were part of a ragtag unit known as the Arab Section, conceived during World War II by British spies and Jewish militia leaders in Palestine. Intended to gather intelligence and carry out sabotage and assassinations, the unit consisted of Jews who were native to the Arab world and could thus easily assume Arab identities. In 1948, with Israel's existence in the balance during the War of Independence, our spies went undercover in Beirut, where they spent the next two years operating out of a kiosk....
-
-
Absolutely brilliant
- By David Mane on 06-23-19
-
A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing
- The Incarceration of African American Women from Harriet Tubman to Sandra Bland
- By: DaMaris B. Hill
- Narrated by: Mia Ellis
- Length: 1 hr and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Harriet Tubman to Assata Shakur, Ida B. Wells to Sandra Bland and Black Lives Matter, black women freedom fighters have braved violence, scorn, despair and isolation in order to lodge their protests. In A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing, DaMaris Hill honours their experiences with at times harrowing, at times hopeful responses to her heroes.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Andrea Reynolds on 09-19-19
-
Death in the Haymarket
- A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing That Divided Gilded Age America
- By: James Green
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 4, 1886, a bomb exploded at a Chicago labor rally, wounding dozens of policemen, seven of whom eventually died. A wave of mass hysteria swept the country, leading to a sensational trial that culminated in four controversial executions and dealt a blow to the labor movement from which it would take decades to recover. Historian James Green recounts the rise of the first great labor movement in the wake of the Civil War and brings to life an epic 20-year struggle for the eight-hour workday.
-
-
A must for anyone who enjoys labor history
- By Taurus on 01-10-22
-
América
- The Epic Story of Spanish North America, 1493-1898
- By: Robert Goodwin
- Narrated by: Thom Rivera
- Length: 20 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the conclusion of the American Revolution, half the modern United States was part of the vast Spanish Empire. The year after Columbus' great voyage of discovery, in 1492, he claimed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Spain. For the next 300 years, thousands of proud Spanish conquistadors and their largely forgotten Mexican allies went in search of glory and riches from Florida to California. Many died; few triumphed. Some were cruel; some were curious; some were kind. Missionaries and priests yearned to harvest Indian souls for God through baptism and Christian teaching.
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A Narration That is Difficult to Follow
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-19
About the Editor
With tastes as varied as his shoe collection, editor Kyle will listen to just about anything; however, his go-to listens deal with the consequences of human nature: history, politics, religion, and true crime. His favorite pastime is taking long walks with his dogs while devouring a great story from Audible, of course. Follow him on Twitter @_EditorKyle.