Unusual History

Weird but True Stories from the Roaring 1920s: Strange and Bizarre Tales from the Prohibition Era is a riveting collection of real, historically documented events that prove truth is stranger than fiction. From haunted courtrooms and dance marathons that drove people to madness, to bootlegging schemes, deadly medical frauds, and a massacre that changed organized crime forever, this book explores the weirdest corners of 1920s America. Set against the backdrop of Prohibition, jazz, flappers, and gangsters, these ten unforgettable stories showcase the bizarre side of the decade that redefined ...

The first installment in Giles Milton's outrageously entertaining series, History's Unknown Chapters: colorful and accessible, intelligent and illuminating, Milton shows his customary historical flair as he delves into the little-known stories from the past. There's the cook aboard the Titanic, who pickled himself with whiskey and survived in the icy seas where most everyone else died. There's the man who survived the atomic bomb in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And there's many, many more.

Who doesn’t love random facts and odd trivia? Have fun learning weird and curious facts in this audiobook of unusual knowledge and funny trivia. Discover fun and interesting facts about the world and our fascinating history. An amazing facts book for kids and teenagers of all ages, full of fascinating facts and trivia to educate and stimulate young minds. Discover fascinating new knowledge you will keep forever!

This volume in a series of world history case studies utilizes the compelling but little-known journal of a surgeon in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to explore the social history of seventeenth century Holland, South Africa, Indonesia, and Thailand. Gisbert Heeck’s vivid account stands as one of the great travel narratives of his era and provides us with a unique lens to explore early modern life, including everything from the history of Western medical science to mercantilism, from the tradition of Dutch still life painting to Jewish life in Amsterdam. What emerges is a rich ...

The history of war is filled with extraordinary battles, heartbreaking tragedy, and deadly weapons. Trace the history of war from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the modern day fight against terrorism. From knights in armor to aircraft armed with powerful bombs, discover how wars have changed the course of human history.

In Cape Odd, historians Jim Coogan and Jack Sheedy bring to light some of the more unusual and overlooked stories about Cape Cod. This is the fourth collaboration between the popular award winning authors and from dusty archives, old newspapers, and personal interviews, the two have complied a record of curious events, happenings, and people, that if they were not odd in the very narrow sense of the word, were certainly out of the ordinary. From the Barnstable sea captain who kept Siamese twins in his woodshed and the Sandwich man who taught dancing to King George V and Queen Mary of ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies investigates the life of the Japanese emperor who abdicated in 1629 and then dedicated the rest of his life to promoting Japanese cultural traditions and artistic forms as a poignant resistance to the assertion of Tokugawa authority. The story of Go-Mizunoo’s defiance, which was deeply tied to the development of Buddhist sects in Japan, presents the familiar story of the rise of the shoguns from an unexpected perspective that helps us to understand the complexities of seventeenth century Japan in a new way. This book is a volume in the...

Deadly Ingenuity does something new in the study of weaponry and martial arts. It traverses the centuries and continents while focusing exclusively on fighting tools that are not the usual suspects. It also brings to light some historical weapons and fighting techniques that have never before been surveyed. The diverse panoply of objects takes the reader from islands (Hawaii, Okinawa, New Zealand), to plains (Argentina, the American Southwest) and from jungles (Borneo, Brazil) to cities (New York City, London, Seoul, Tokyo, Venice). Nor are those complete lists. Sources include but are not ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies explores racism, imperialism, and indigenous resistance to nineteenth century Christian missionary activity in the South Pacific by shedding light on the experiences of a convert named Ta’unga. Born in the Cook Islands, Ta’unga dedicated his life to promoting Christianity in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Samoa, but also struggled to have his work be fully appreciated by his supervisors in the London Missionary Society. As an intermediary between two worlds, Ta’unga’s struggles illustrate the complexities of the cultural ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies investigates the career of East Germany’s Walter Ulbricht, one of the few communist leaders to live long enough to experience the most important events of the twentieth century. Too often discounted or ignored by historians, this ever-calculating man survived World War I, Hitler’s rise to power, Stalinism, and World War II to become the architect of Berlin Wall and a man committed to creating a utopian socialist state at any cost. Ulbricht’s perspective helps us to understand Europe’s modern history in a new way.

“Valley of Horrors.” “Free Love Camp.” “Torture School.” The headlines were everywhere—outrageous, sensational, and sometimes true. In the chaotic churn of the 1960s and ’70s, one radical school dared to do what no institution had done before: accept the students nobody else wanted and teach them like they mattered. That school was Green Valley, and this is the true story of how it changed—and shattered—lives. Founded by the fiercely unconventional Reverend George von Hilsheimer, Green Valley School became a lightning rod for controversy. What began as a “free school...

This volume in a series of world history case studies explores the development of the Reformation by shedding light on the experiences of a cautious theologian who helped bring Protestantism to Strasbourg, France. After Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517, Wolfgang Capito devoted himself to seeking compromise and reconciliation between various Protestant factions. The futility of his persistent efforts illustrate the irreconcilable theological differences between Anabaptists, Calvinists, Catholics, and Lutherans, and help us to understand one of Europe's greatest social ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies analyzes Spanish colonialism in the early seventeenth century by examining the career of Diego Fernández de Córdoba. Fernández served as viceroy of both New Spain (Mexico) and Peru during a period that featured strained race relations, new socio-economic tensions, and bitter conflicts between Catholic religious orders. His measured responses to Jews, the Inquisition, women, and local rebellions reveal a man determined to hold a vast empire together through the power of compromise. What emerges is a new understanding of an often-...

In When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank, the second installment in his outrageously entertaining series, History's Unknown Chapters, Giles Milton shows his customary historical flair as he delves into the little-known stories from history, like when Stalin was actually assassinated with poison by one of his inner circle; the Russian scientist, dubbed the "Red Frankenstein", who attempted to produce a human-ape hybrid through ethically dubious means; and much more.

This volume in a series of world history case studies focuses on Scottish businessman Richard Oswald, a man who epitomized the inter-connectivity of the Atlantic world in the eighteenth century, as well as the horrors that unity produced. By establishing his own triangular trade with a slave station in Sierra Leone, a plantation in Florida, and an office in London, Oswald became a wealthy man who benefited from the misery of others. Because he also served as the chief British negotiator in the Peace of Paris (1783) that ended the American Revolution, Oswald's life also provides us with a ...

If you’re reading this, we did it! Our childhood dreams of writing a book have come true. Who could have believed that what started in the back row of Ms. Doris Longbottom’s freshman English class at Richard Nixon High School would lead to all this? (Certainly not you, Doris. You never saw our full potential. Also, we knew about you and the cafeteria cook from Ecuador who always smelled like radishes and regret. Oh, and we’ll be naming a future edition after you. You’re welcome.) Ever since puberty raced through our veins like Red Bull and jet fuel, your esteemed co-writers have ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies analyzes the life of the uncompromising Black labor leader and anarchist Lucy Parsons. Parsons’ vivid writings and the fascinating, if painful, ways in which she experienced Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, Progressivism, and the Red Scare of the 1920s shed a unique light on the issues of class, race, and gender through crucial transitional periods of our nation’s history. This book is a volume in the Understanding World History Through Biography series.

This volume in a series of world history case studies celebrates the life of the Mughal princess Jahanara—a woman who challenges Western stereotypes of Muslim women. Once bestowed the honorary title “king of queens,” Jahanara commanded significant power in the Mughal court, serving as mediator, confidant, benefactor and visionary. A noted poet, a deft businesswoman, and a devoted Sufi, Jahanara combined practically with spirituality, thereby providing us with a unique window for understanding politics, economics, and religious conflicts mid-seventeenth century India. Her relationships...

Based on a true story, some of the unknown details were surmised and deduced based upon known data Historical Black Culture White Culture Family Dynamics Loyalty, Courage, Bravery Adventure The Legend of Bob White In the late 1800’s right before the turn of the century, a boy became a man at sixteen years of age when he tore down the community Christmas tree in a fit of outrage over a beautiful young girl. The downing of the Christmas tree was the harbinger of a changed life, when young Robert ran away from home, headed from his small country town to the industry of the big city. Nothing ...

This volume in a series of world history case studies reveals the life of an Ethiopian woman who personifies a time and place same way that Catherine de Medici does for sixteenth century France and Cixi does for nineteenth century China. Eleni served as regent three times in forty years in the fifteenth century, continually guiding her nation towards European alliances to help her resist Muslim expansion in the Horn of Africa. Eleni’s steadfast rule and vision helped her to overcome fractious court, a divided Orthodox Church, and fraught diplomatic challenges. Her life also helps us to ...