Showing results by author "History Hour" in All Categories

The Crusades were a series of holy wars fought between Christians and Muslims over the ownership of certain holy sites held sacred by the Muslims, Christians, and Jews. These wars were bloody, violent, and cataclysmic. What caused them, and how did they happen? You’ll listen about: East meets West, the Crusaders, Crusader kingdoms and new venues, life as a Crusader, side Campaigns, war unending, sputtering little Crusades, the end of Holy War in the Holy Land, and much more!

Was Joan of Arc accused because she was a woman? Then why did so many fierce and battle-hardened male warriors line up their troops behind her? Yet, not even one of her soldiers, be they longbowmen, cavalry riders, knights, artillerymen, and nobles, ran from the command of a woman. Instead, they marveled at her as she mounted the ladders to a heavily defended castle, right along with the men, shot arrows, thrust spears, and galloped on her great white steed along with the best of them. She was wounded twice and yet did not shirk from battle.

Was Don Juan an unconquerable womanizer and a philanderer whose life choices were driven by his loins, not his mind? A rich man of noble blood, indeed. But also, a scoundrel of the highest order. Still, not every story sees him as such. Some say he is more victim than culprit, others that there is nothing wrong with enjoying life, provided doing so harms no one and nobody is induced to do something they would rather not. Our challenge is to find out exactly what kind of man Don Juan really was. The answer might surprise us.

Mark Twain Samuel Clemens the greatest humorist America has produced. Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain, whatever name you want to call him, was a complex individual who was moody and had a dark side but never showed it to his audience because he needed their buy-in for him to make money...You can get the most complete information about this great author by listening to his autobiography. So you can understand the life, thoughts, and ideas of a great writer. Listen to Mark Twain biography right now!

In this one-hour history audiobook, discover why 1944 was the year of no return. A year of triumph for the Allies and of despair for the Axis forces, as we uncover the main events of that year during World War II, the most lethal war of all times. The Axis powers that had previously shaken the world with their fascist aggression were now thoroughly shaken themselves. By 1944 their reign of terror was almost over, but they would still fight on, clinging to the fantastic hope that they would somehow pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

Much of the material in this book comes from The Bamboo Annals, The Records of the Grand Historian, and later historians who studied those sacred texts. The bamboo annals were discovered in AD 281, inside the tomb of King Xian. The Records of the Grand Historian were reportedly written by Sima Tian and continued by his son, Sima Qian. Only fragments remain today, but the original may have been written just prior to 86 BC.

Seen as a strong-willed, tenacious leader who saved the United States from the Great Depression and the death and destruction that could have been through World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt solidified the nation's place as a world superpower. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which realigned American politics into the Fifth Party System.

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. After that, he drifted for several years before re-turning 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.

Was Walt Disney a purveyor of homely patriotic values or a representative of American imperialism? He could be said to be the quintessential American. He came from a family of immigrants, he worked his way to the top, and he always had a story to tell. The main theme always running through Disney productions was that of the underdogs and misfits trying to make it against seemingly insurmountable odds.

In this history book, discover the US Presidents from the 19th century, the main events of their presidency, their legacy, and impact on America’s history! In this book, we present a full century of American presidents — from Thomas Jefferson to William McKinley — in chronological order. Free from any political affiliation or ideological bias, these biographies allow you to experience in full all of their triumphs and tragedies, agendas, and accomplishments.

If 1942 was a crossroads, then 1943 was the point of no return. This year marked the true turning point of the war. It was in this year that the Axis forces were ejected from North Africa and Fascist Italy was utterly defeated, only to be propped back up as a puppet state of Nazi Germany. Germany itself was sent running from Russia, and Japan was dealt severe losses in the Pacific. The emboldened Allies became committed to forcing the complete and unconditional surrender of Axis forces everywhere. This audiobook explores all of the nuances of 1943 in full.

This collection describes two of the world’s most influential and devastating historical events that completely changed the course of mankind - the Roman Empire and World War II....

Benjamin Franklin was not only a son, husband, brother, and scientist; he was also very popular and highly respected in the American colonies, England, and France. Franklin was highly intelligent and a very generous and compassionate human being, who often woke up early and would ask himself what good he could accomplish that day.

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.

Ludwig van Beethoven, a genius composer, one of the most recognized and influential of all composers. Ludwig van Beethoven is a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Classical music. Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe.

In the 20th century, the nation had come of age, a brand-new political landscape was taking shape. It was during the 20th century that the US president became not just the leader of the United States but the Leader of the Free World. The US essentially inherited this hegemony from the British Empire at the close of World War II and retained it for the remainder of the century, which gave the country’s presidents a whole new set of problems to deal with. While the Monroe Doctrine had long dictated concern for events in the Americas, the US now became the policeman of the entire world.

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.

In this one-hour history book, discover the US Presidents from the 18th century. It all started with Georges Washington, the first American President and John Adams, the second US President. Discover how these Founding Fathers of the U.S.A. became presidents, the main events of their presidency, and their impact on America and World’s history!

The very first democracy in the world found its origins in Ancient Greece. The most exquisite art and architecture of the world had its origins there. While education had its roots in many cultures after the Bronze Age, education found its flowering in the rise of some of greatest literature ever written. From the very small country of Greece came the development of the higher sciences. Even the most celebrated of sports events, the Olympics, started in a small city-state of Athens.

Ancient Rome covers Roman civilization from the founding of the city of Rome to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, encompassing the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, and Roman Empire, until the fall of the Western empire. In its many centuries of existence, the Roman state evolved from a monarchy to the classical republic, and then to an increasingly autocratic empire.