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Author: Terry Breverton
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Published: 2014-06-15
Total Pages: 407
ISBN-13: 1445633523
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA remarkable compendium of oddities, curiosities and little-known facts from the Great War, featuring the greatest battles, war slang, heroes and heroines, animals, spies, weapons, and much more.
Author: Terry Breverton
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2013-11-05
Total Pages: 485
ISBN-13: 1623653207
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBreverton's Nautical Curiosities is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary. Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the Monitor, the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War. Readers will be stimulated to read more about the remarkable men--explorers, admirals and trawlermen--who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms "steer clear," "hit the deck," "don't rock the boat," "to harbor a grudge" and the like, and give little thought to them. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the origin of "bumpkin," a "brace of shakes," "born with a silver spoon," "booby prize," "to take on board," "above board," "bombed" (in the sense of being drunk), the "blues," "blind-side," "blind drunk," "the pot calling the kettle black," "reach the bitter end," "wasters," "ahoy," "all at sea," "to keep aloof," "piss-artist," "taken aback," "barbecue" and "bamboozle." Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as "bring one's arse to anchor" (sit down), "belly timber" (food) and "bog orange" (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.
Author: Jacques R. Pauwels
Publisher: James Lorimer & Company
Published: 2016-04-06
Total Pages: 758
ISBN-13: 1459411072
DOWNLOAD EBOOKHistorian Jacques Pauwels applies a critical, revisionist lens to the First World War, offering readers a fresh interpretation that challenges mainstream thinking. As Pauwels sees it, war offered benefits to everyone, across class and national borders. For European statesmen, a large-scale war could give their countries new colonial territories, important to growing capitalist economies. For the wealthy and ruling classes, war served as an antidote to social revolution, encouraging workers to exchange socialism's focus on international solidarity for nationalism's intense militarism. And for the working classes themselves, war provided an outlet for years of systemic militarization -- quite simply, they were hardwired to pick up arms, and to do so eagerly. To Pauwels, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914 -- traditionally upheld by historians as the spark that lit the powder keg -- was not a sufficient cause for war but rather a pretext seized upon by European powers to unleash the kind of war they had desired. But what Europe's elite did not expect or predict was some of the war's outcomes: social revolution and Communist Party rule in Russia, plus a wave of political and social democratic reforms in Western Europe that would have far-reaching consequences. Reflecting his broad research in the voluminous recent literature about the First World War by historians in the leading countries involved in the conflict, Jacques Pauwels has produced an account that challenges readers to rethink their understanding of this key event of twentieth century world history.
Author: Terry Breverton
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Published: 2015-09-15
Total Pages: 561
ISBN-13: 144564875X
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA fascinating history of Tudor food and drink, from swan-neck soup to roasted-alive goose.
Author: Norman Ferguson
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2016-10-06
Total Pages: 163
ISBN-13: 0750969571
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA must-have A–Z guide with fascinating facts, figures, quotes and statistics from the high-flying world of aviation, From Airbus to Zeppelin has it all. D is for Desert Island Discs: just what would Dambuster Guy Gibson have liked while marooned on his desert island? E is for Everest: did you know that two Scotsmen were the first to fly over the magnificent mountain? F is for Faster than the sun: which aircraft was the first to fly faster than the Earth's rotation? A must-read for anyone interested in the world of aviation – and may win the reader a pub quiz or two!
Author: Jan Bridgeford-Smith
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Published: 2021-06-01
Total Pages: 257
ISBN-13: 1493052322
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBegged, Borrowed, & Stolen is a collection of true stories detailing the different icons, historical documents, art, patents, ideas, and more that have been stolen throughout US history. Drawing upon years of research and an extensive collection of photographs, the author sheds light on how land, art and treasures, ideas, and even bodies and elections were stolen from right under our noses!
Author: Terry Breverton
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2013-10-01
Total Pages: 710
ISBN-13: 1623652340
DOWNLOAD EBOOKInvention and innovation are what distinguish the human race from all of the other species on Earth. Throughout history the imagination and pioneering spirit of human kind has compelled us to question why we do things in a certain way and, more importantly, how we can do things better. Celebrating the ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness that has led to some of the most amazing technological leaps through the ages, Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions examines the key innovations and breakthroughs of all time and the genius behind them. Starting with the building of the pyramids in ancient Egypt and the discovery of the solar system, moving through surgery, dynamite and rockets, to modern technology such as the smart card and genetic engineering, Terry Breverton springs many surprises. He uncovers fascinating and little-known facts: for example, that Price, not Fleming, discovered penicillin; that Swan, not Edison invented the electric light, and that Wallace, not Darwin first advanced the theory of evolution. Tracing the sheer persistence of brilliant men and women across the globe, who fought the prevailing ideas of their times and advanced technology, Breverton's Encyclopedia of Inventions will inspire anyone interested in the history and developments that have changed our lives and shaped our planet's future.
Author: Cynthia Barrett
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Published: 2019-06-01
Total Pages: 193
ISBN-13: 1493042289
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe origins of a remarkable number of everyday words and phrases are anchored in our seafaring past. Three Sheets to the Wind: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions is an entertaining compilation revealing the maritime roots of common English expressions. The original “slush fund” was the fatty scraps from boiled meat that the ship’s cook secretly stashed away to sell at port to candle makers. The man who originally “turned a blind eye” was Admiral Nelson. In one of Naval history’s most famous acts of insubordination, Nelson, in the heat of battle, raised his telescope to his blind eye and announced he could not see the signal flag commanding him to break off action. The perfect companion for etymology lovers, factophiles, ocean dreamers, and the conversationally curious, Three Sheets to the Wind features 200 words and expressions that are nautically inspired. Alphabetically organized (from A to Sea) readers can also enjoy 100 original illustrations as well as relevant excerpts from the great novels of Melville, Forester, O’Brian, and others. These passages illustrate how such literary giants reached for these expressions in their classic masterpieces. Our everyday speech is peppered with language used by sailors when someone says they are “pooped” because they stayed to the “bitter end” of “happy hour”.
Author: Terry Breverton
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Published: 2016-05-15
Total Pages: 683
ISBN-13: 1445646064
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe life of the king of England who defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth and founded the glittering Tudor royal dynasty.
Author: J. W. Ocker
Publisher: Quirk Books
Published: 2020-09-15
Total Pages: 272
ISBN-13: 1683692373
DOWNLOAD EBOOKBeware...this book is cursed! These strange but true stories of the world’s most infamous items will appeal to true believers as well as history buffs, horror fans, and anyone who loves a good spine-tingling tale. They’re lurking in museums, graveyards, and private homes. Their often tragic and always bizarre stories have inspired countless horror movies, reality TV shows, novels, and campfire tales. They’re cursed objects, and all they need to unleash a wave of misfortune is . . . you. Many of these unfortunate items have intersected with some of the most notable events and people in history, leaving death and destruction in their wake. But never before have the true stories of these eerie oddities been compiled into a fascinating and chilling volume. Inside, readers will learn about: • Annabelle the Doll, a Raggedy Ann doll that featured in the horror franchise The Conjuring • The Unlucky Mummy, which is rumored to have sunk the Titanic and kick-started World War I • The Dybbuk box, which was sold on eBay and spawned the horror film The Possession • The Conjured Chest, which has been blamed for fifteen deaths within a single family • The Ring of Silvianus, a Roman artifact believed to have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit • And many more!
