Showing results for "Great Cities" in History

Delve into the social and cultural history of 100 of the world's most important cities. From the first towns in Mesopotamia to today's global metropolises, cities have marked the progress of civilization. Great Cities offers a rich historical overview of each featured city. The latest title in...

This lavish audiobook goes under the skin of cities both ancient and modern - from Persepolis and Tikal, Paris and Vienna to Prague, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Dubai. Which ancient civilization founded the precursor to Mexico City? Why was Venice the gateway to the East? What was the Belle Epoque? Which was the first city to build sewers? Great Cities takes you there and tells you all this and more. 

Cities of the Ancient World is your opportunity to survey the breadth of the ancient world through the context of its urban development. Taught by esteemed Professor Steven L. Tuck, of Miami University, these 24 eye-opening lectures not only provide an invaluable look at the design and architecture of ancient cities, they also offer a flesh-and-blood glimpse into the daily lives of ordinary people and the worlds they created.

In the 17th century, the people of London could boast that they had developed some of the most advanced firefighting technology and methods in the world, including the use of primitive fire engines. There were even vendors of such machines who advertised in papers of their machines' abilities to quench great fires.

In A.D. 64, on the night of July 19, a fire began beneath the stands of Rome’s great stadium, the Circus Maximus. The fire would spread over the coming days to engulf much of the city of Rome. From this calamity, one of the ancient world’s most devastating events, legends grew: that Nero had been responsible for the fire, and fiddled while Rome burned, and that Nero blamed the Christians of Rome, burning them alive in punishment, making them the first recorded martyrs to the Christian faith at Rome.

Explore America’s great cities and towns with our free walking tour podcasts. Discover the stories and histories behind the amazing sights on our circular walks. Find the best cafes and restaurants in each destination. Walking tour guides include Philadelphia, Boston and New York.

In the 12 lessons of Notorious London: A City Tour, you will experience a rich sampling of some of the city’s most shocking stories and infamous personalities. Taught by Professor Paul Deslandes of the University of Vermont, Notorious London dips into various regions and eras of London’s past to give you a multifaceted look into this remarkable metropolis.

“A fascinating political, racial, economic, and cultural tapestry” (Detroit Free Press), Once in a Great City is a tour de force from David Maraniss about the quintessential American city at the top of its game: Detroit in 1963. Detroit in 1963 is on top of the world. The city’s leaders...

Walking tours of Tuscany’s great cities and towns, including Florence, Siena, Cortona, Lucca and Perugia in Tuscany and Umbria. Our tours guide you around your chosen destination's most interesting tourist sights, tell you about the history and stories behind each location. Follow our directions between each stop on your circular tour. Get tips on where to eat and drink as you enjoy your holiday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A monumental tale of American ambition, told by Pulitzer Prize–winning author and master historian David McCullough. This gripping saga of the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the country’s boldest engineering achievements, reveals not only the politics and personalities behind...

A real-life thriller in the vein of The Devil in the White City, Kate Winkler Dawson's debut Death in the Air is a gripping, historical narrative of a serial killer, an environmental disaster, and an iconic city struggling to regain its footing. London was still recovering from the devastation...

Immerse yourself in the dynamic tapestry of early 20th Century New York City, as envisioned by the brilliant Theodore Dreiser. Renowned for his evocative storytelling, Dreiser invites you into the lives of those crammed into bustling tenements, where love and heartbreak intertwine with the harsh realities of urban life. Witness subway workers risking everything for a mere paycheck, the stark truths of animal slaughter, and the heartfelt narratives of songwriters caught in the struggle between success and despair. From the haunting alleys of Little Italy to the lively streets where sandwich men...

At the meeting point of two great rivers, a city took shape—first as a gathering place, then as a port, and finally as one of America’s most distinctive urban landscapes. A Brief History of Portland traces that sweeping journey with cinematic clarity, revealing how water, timber, ambition, and community shaped a city unlike any other. From the Chinookan world that flourished along the Willamette and Columbia, to the muddy frontier settlement named by a coin toss, Portland’s early chapters unfold with the drama of a place discovering its purpose.

No city has had as powerful and as enduring an impact on Western civilization as London. But what made the city the perfect environment for so many great developments? How did London endure the sweeping historical revolutions and disasters without crumbling? Find the answers to these questions and more in these 24 fascinating lectures.

From Puritan prayers to biotech breakthroughs, Boston has shaped the soul of a nation. In this vivid, cinematic journey through twenty defining chapters, author and narrator Derek Monaghan brings the city’s legacy to life—one rebellion, one invention, one heartbreak at a time.

In this engaging, anecdotal history of food, world conquest, and desire, a chef-turned-journalist tells the story of three legendary cities, Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam, that transformed the globe in the quest for spice.

The world has long considered China a juggernaut of economic strength, but since the global financial crisis, the country's economy has ballooned in size, complexity, and risk. Once dominated by four state-owned banks, the nation's financial system is a tangle of shadow banking entities...

The Citicorp Center, a fifty-nine-story skyscraper built in 1977, immediately became one of the most recognizable features on the New York City skyline with its distinctive inclined roof and oddly placed support columns. Designed by one of the top structural engineers in the field, William LeMessurier, the tower would become the crown jewel of his professional career; In essence, he created a skyscraper on stilts. The building was a modern marvel—until it was revealed that it had a one in sixteen chance of collapse.

Perched on the bluffs of the Missouri River, Kansas City began as a crossroads of trails and trade. It endured the turmoil of the Civil War, rose to prominence through railroads and stockyards, and flourished as immigrant communities shaped its cultural mosaic. The Jazz Age gave the city a sound that echoed across the nation, even as Tom Pendergast’s political machine cast long shadows. Baseball and barbecue became traditions that defined its flavor and spirit, while the struggle for civil rights forced the city to confront its conscience and embrace change.

A Brief History of Minneapolis traces the evolution of a city built on water, industry, imagination, and reinvention. From the thunder of St. Anthony Falls to the rise of the world’s flour capital, from immigrant neighborhoods to artistic revolutions, from labor struggles to moments that reshaped national dialogue, Minneapolis emerges as a place defined by its people and their capacity to build, create, and confront change.