Showing results by author "The History Hour" in All Categories

Hosted by Dr. Sarah C. Schaefer (Assistant Professor, Art History, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee) and Dr. Tina Rivers Ryan (Assistant Curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY).

Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler was voivode of Wallachia three times. The tales about the burning of the lazy, the poor, and the lame at Vlad's order and the execution of the woman who had made her husband too short a shirt can also be found among the German and Slavic anecdotes. Books describing Vlad's cruel acts were among the first best sellers in the German-speaking territories.

Albert Einstein was an outstanding physician and mathematician of the 20th century. He was a pure genius who created a formula that would build a bomb capable of killing thousands at a time. Albert learned to play the violin. He could play a few notes on the piano or the violin, and then he would jot down notes on some theory. Einstein won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.

It goes without saying that Eleanor of Aquitaine was a force of nature. She was the wife of kings, the mother of kings, a duchess in her own right, and a tool of no man. She was headstrong and independent in an age when women were essentially to be seen and not heard.

Frida Kahlo was ahead of her time. She was bisexual and would have fit in perfectly in the time we live in now. Her disabilities would be acceptable in our society of today and her husband, Diego would probably be run out of town by the Real Housewives of “Cheaters”. Frida came with a lot of baggage in her life starting when she was only six years old and even more baggage piled on when she was in high school. Her suffering was more than anyone can imagine but she kept her head held high and forged her way forward.

Venture deep into the heart and mind of the "Prince of Preachers," Charles Haddon Spurgeon. This comprehensive biography paints a vivid tapestry of the 19th-century evangelist who, without the aid of modern technology, drew thousands to his sermons and left an indelible mark on Christian thought. Journey from Spurgeon's humble beginnings in Kelvedon to the grand pulpit of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, where his words stirred souls and sparked revolutions of faith.

Nikola Tesla pursued his ideas for wireless lighting and worldwide wireless electric power distribution in his high-voltage, high-frequency power experiments. Hear more about Tesla in this audiobook.

Unlike most artists, Van Gogh developed very slowly, beginning with work as an art dealer that exposed him to many great works. He undertook this work for several years, after which he spent time as a missionary for the Dutch Reformed Church. Thereafter, he drifted for several years before returning home to his parents’ house, where he took up painting, largely self-taught with books on anatomy and painting. His great works all date from the later years of his life.

Patton’s life was a patchwork of a hard-driving leadership style, a colorful and sarcastic personality, and a series of dire political missteps. His image is often contradictory. On one hand, he was a hot spark who could often fly off the handle and say and do things that were injurious to himself and others. On the other hand, he was a gifted orator whose capacity to inspire his troops was second to none. Reconciling those elements of his being can sometimes be a tricky proposition.

In this book, you will learn a lot about Norma Jeane (a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe) and what a horrible childhood she had, in and out of foster homes, and why she married at such a young age. You will find how she was "discovered" as a movie star and how hard she worked to climb her way up a glass wall in the Hollywood scene. You will also find what an insecure person she was and how she turned to alcohol and drugs to bolster her insecurities.

Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, nominally survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. She was also a diplomat, naval commander, polyglot, and medical author. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder, Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.

Did Christopher Columbus discover America or a route to the Far East? He was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist who had a singular goal toward which he was driven. His courage was astounding, as he and his three small ships set sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus and his men took precarious and dangerous journeys toward a blue horizon. All they had to depend upon were nautical charts, an astrolabe, and a quadrant. The maps he used were developed by more ancient astronomers such as Ptolemy and Eratosthenes – men who had never sailed the great sea.

As you begin to listen to this audiobook, you will undoubtedly feel that Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louise XVI led spoiled lives. You will be right in what you think; but you will also find out that with their parents arranging their marriages at a very young age, neither of them was ever able to experience the feelings of young love. You will see what horrors and terrors that Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, their children, and Louis’ sister had to suffer through for four years before their deaths.

Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary who was the leader of the Nazi Party, chancellor of Germany, and führer ("leader") of Nazi Germany. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland and was central to the Holocaust.

Nineteen-forty-two came on the scene like a fast-moving freight train careening around a series of rapid twists and turns. In a matter of months, the Japanese made themselves masters of the entire Dutch East Indies. The Soviet Union was faced with near collapse as the Germans pounded at the gates of Moscow, and America’s East Coast was besieged by Nazi U-Boats. It was a year of quick and decisive action during which the situation changed from day to day. In this short, one hour audiobook, you will learn everything you need to know about what happened in 1942 during World War II.

In this one-hour history book, discover why 1941 was such a pivotal year as we uncover the main events of that year during World War II, the most lethal war of all times. It was a watershed year for conflict. Many of the most tumultuous and consequential events of World War II occurred in 1941.

Discover the lives and poltical history of German politician and demagogue Adolf Hitler - leader of the Nazi Party, chancellor of Germany, and führer of Nazi Germany - and Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union.

There is a lot more to the story than just the light bulb, and there is a lot more to the invention of the light bulb than just Thomas Edison. One thing is for sure - he is still remembered as one of the greatest inventors of all time and perhaps the greatest that America has ever produced. In truth, Edison was a man who invented a lot of things while bringing about incredible advancements in many other things. With the stock ticker, the telegraph, the light bulb, and the motion picture, he may not have invented them, but he improved on them beyond any recognition.

Probably no historical period has been discussed and dissected as much as World War II. Yet there is always something new to learn upon closer inspection. Events occurred at lightning speed during the war years, and you almost have to take things on a day-by-day basis to take them all in. That is why this book focuses solely on what transpired in 1940. The year 1940 was one of the most pivotal years of World War II. It was the year that Britain and France began offensive operations against the Germans.

Isaac Newton’s main body of work was as a physicist and mathematician. He was a part of a scientific revolution in the 17th century, which would fundamentally change the way that people would see the world. In the field of optics, he would advance our understanding of light and how we saw it.