Weird History 101 - Tales Of Intrigue, Mayhem, And Outrageous Behavior

by John Richard Stephens

Book Overview

By uncovering rare documents, eyewitness accounts and contemporary descriptions of episodes ranging from Viking funerals to the Vietnam war, the author reveals 85 true stories behind some of history's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760779945
• ISBN13: 9780760779941
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Terrific! Lots of great stuff here!

I alternately was awed, brought to tears, and rolling with laughter while I read this terrific book. The author is himself a historian and he brings history alive with amazing tid-bits from first-person narratives about being on the Titantic, to the Indian war - from the NATIVE AMERICAN perspective (this was very sad). Even people who aren't terribly interested in history in general will find this book interesting and (often) amusing. Please, don't deny yourself a copy of this book!

the very best

Awesome book. The best thing I like about the books is that, most of the details are quoted from the people, who lived the history, - and not what the writer thinks happened. In several places the author includes stories from each party involved in the event that made the history. For e.g. there is a detail account of what Fanny thought had happened at Fort Sully and also what the Native Americans had narrated. The book is a must buy, if you like to go into details.

Loved it, Loved it, Loved it!!!!

One of my favorite wacky history books. Several of the itemsI had already come across in more serious tomes but lots of fun stuff like a list of Presidental nicknames.A great source of social history but remember to bring your sense of humour with you!

Winner!

Very interesting reading, very hard to put down. These are very simply the words of people who were there.Dolly Madison describes the burning of the white house, testimony of the only survivor of a Nazi Gas Chamber, Wyatt Earp's testimony of what really happened at O.K. Corral in Tombstone, descriptions of Lincoln's and Washingtion's dirty sense of humor. It is the "other point of view". This book shows people as people, not legends, or heroes, horrors are horrors, not honor, not glamourized hollywood stunts. The info is raw, by people who were there. There is a lot of Native American point of view info about the Custer's Last Stand and the war against the indians.

I was there!

History books are written in the third person. It's hard for a bystander of history to describe to another bystander what it was like. Instead, first person accounts of everything from Little Bighorn to the assasination of Abraham Lincoln star. Learn from a person who sailed with Captain Morgan or survived Nagasaki. Fascinating narratives that you can read all the way through the 20th century. Make sure you read Navy's punishments in 1848. Take your time with the letter from the survivor of the cannibalistic Donnor party...grammar was not a strong point.