Resultados de "Hourly History" en Todas las categorias

In 1837, Hong Xiuquan failed the notoriously difficult exam to gain entry to the Chinese Civil Service and suffered a nervous breakdown. In a weakened state, he had visions which he later interpreted to be messages from God, telling him that he is the younger brother of Jesus Christ and, therefore, the second son of God.

It is a verifiable fact that the Apostle Paul was one of the most prolific writers of the New Testament, making him one of the founders of the Christian religion that we know today. Although he came on the scene after Jesus Christ, it could be argued that Saint Paul played the second biggest role in the history of Christianity. This is rather fascinating, considering the fact that he began his career as one of the biggest persecutors of the faith.

Hedy Lamarr was a rare kind of woman. She was not only a strikingly beautiful actress who took Hollywood by storm in the 1940s, but she was also an inventor - and not just any inventor. Hedy Lamarr’s work with radio frequencies is credited with paving the way for wi-fi. It seems that the greatest bomb that this bombshell dropped would only fully explode until the last years of her life because when Lamarr passed away in the year 2000, the computing world was just then mainstreaming many of her ideas.

By the age of 26, John Wilkes Booth had achieved success on the stage. He had rugged good looks and the fame he craved. Yet that wasn’t enough for the fanatical actor. On April 14, 1865, just a few days following the end of the American Civil War, Booth stepped into the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington and shot Abraham Lincoln. He subsequently managed an incredible escape until he himself was killed.

The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union was a match-up between a mighty, powerful, aggressive nation and its smaller and weaker neighbor. Throughout its history, Finland had learned that in order to survive as a nation, it was obliged to dodge, when possible, the threat of neighboring countries that possessed more people, resources, and ambition than the small country locked in between.

The Great Sioux War was the bloodiest of all of the conflicts in the 300 years of American Indian Wars and would effectively close that tragic chapter of American history. The war resulted in the deaths of hundreds of US soldiers, countless Indian warriors, women and children, and the end of a way of life. This book tells the story of the Great Sioux War in full....

Discover the remarkable history of the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts fought between France and various coalitions in Europe between 1803 and 1815 (though some put the start date at 1799). The prelude to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Napoleonic Wars is the French Revolution, and the conflicts that continued after Napoleon seized power would radically affect Europe and indeed political philosophies not confined by artificial boundaries.

Sojourner Truth was born a slave in 1797. One day, she decided she didn’t want to be a slave anymore and simply walked away from her master. Truth spent the rest of her life preaching and lecturing against slavery and for freedom and equality. While helping former slaves integrate into a free society, she lectured fervently against the discriminations against women, and especially African American women. Her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” is considered one of the most riveting women’s rights speeches ever given.

George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans in the same year as Queen Victoria. Mary Ann might have lived a traditional Victorian-era life had she been pretty and ornamental. When she didn’t attract attention with her looks, however, she made use of her remarkable intelligence. By her early 20s, she translated articles from Latin and French into English and wrote her own reviews for a radical magazine. Discover a plethora of topics such as her life as a young radical, her journey to Switzerland, meeting George Henry Lewes, becoming George Eliot, and more.

Alfred Nobel began his career as a distinguished inventor, but his inventions often failed to bring him the peace of mind he craved. One invention in particular - explosive dynamite - left him full of regret. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before his creation would be used to hurt others, and for this, he felt awful. As part of his final act in life, he would seek to vindicate himself as well as the rest of the world as he pursued the establishment of what would become the Nobel Prize. This is the story of the man who brought us that prize and so much more.

Discover the remarkable history of the Nuremberg Trials...In 1933, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, triumphant after the July 1932 elections, was the largest political party in Germany. The Nazis quickly banned all other political parties and proceeded to implement the policies which aroused the anti-Semitic sentiment of the German people. When the Allied Powers joined forces to fight the Nazis, they were determined to bring the German leaders to justice in an international court where they would be tried for their war crimes.

The Mau Mau Rebellion took place in Kenya, beginning in 1952. A group of native Kenyan peoples, mostly from the Kikuyu tribe, rose up against their British colonizers, who had held the region since 1895. With a complicated story, it can be difficult to place the Mau Mau Uprising within the larger history of Kenyan nationalism and nationhood. Regardless of nuance, though, its importance in the history of Kenya, Africa, and British colonialism cannot be understated. This is the complete history of the Mau Mau Rebellion.

Elizabeth Taylor was born to become a legend. By the time she was a young teenager, she was already making news and attracting attention. Taylor would go onto star in movies such as A Place in the Sun, Butterfield 8, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Cleopatra, where she played opposite Richard Burton. Her affair with Burton caused a worldwide scandal, and the movie almost ruined 20th Century Fox. Taylor and Burton were married and divorced twice, with the world watching their every scandalous move.

Agatha Christie, born in upper-middle-class British society during the late Victorian era, turned into one of the most prolific and popular mystery writers of all time. Her novels have been translated into 44 languages and have sold over two billion copies worldwide. Her mysteries continue to sell as new generations of readers discover the delights of her main characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In addition, Christie’s plays have been a tremendous success, with The Mousetrap running in London for the past 70 years.

In his Gettysburg Address in 1863, President Lincoln wrote of the birth of the United States that had taken place “fourscore and seven years ago”. Although a broad overview of American history leaps from the surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781 to the firing upon Fort Sumter in 1861, historians realize that those 80 years in between represent a dynamic but unsung era in the chronicle of the nation’s ancestry. The Antebellum Era encompasses the period from the first Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 to its more drastic sequel in 1850.

The saga of the Vikings rises and falls on the banks of history, ebbing and flowing with popular opinion and whimsical anecdotes. The Vikings are routinely typecast and labeled anywhere from bloodthirsty tyrants to valiant heroes. They have been condemned as pirates and praised as explorers. We have all heard the stories of the fierce warriors with long ships and horned helmets storming onto the shores of medieval Europe - but who were these men really?

The name Giotto di Bondone may not be as well-known as Leonardo da Vinci, but it was Giotto who made da Vinci and his contemporaries of the Renaissance possible. Giotto, born in the late 13th century, was the first painter to escape the artistic chains of the Dark Ages and revive the natural art of Ancient Greece. Instead of creating flat, expressionless figures, as was the custom of the Middle Ages, Giotto painted characters with personalities and emotions.

It is no secret that Mary Todd Lincoln is one of the least popular first ladies in American history. She was considered a shrew, a spendthrift, and her own son had her declared insane. The truth behind Mary Todd Lincoln lies in the fact that she was unable to conform to the feminine expectations of her times. Well-educated and filled with opinions, she defied conventions and incurred the wrath of the public who hated her for it.

The name Pocahontas is one of the most recognized in the world, and many think they know the story of how she met and fell in love with a European colonist meddling in her Native American affairs. But is this really what happened? It certainly has been a popular theme, and whole Disney movies have been made celebrating this narrative, but besides these conveniently glossed-over tales, what is the real story?

Robert the Bruce is one of the most iconic figures of Scottish history. Born in Scotland’s desperate hour of need, Robert stepped forward to answer the call. In the early 1300s, the situation looked bleak for the Scottish with the might of England and its eager monarch King Edward I threatening to crush any resistance to his rule. In 1305, the former freedom fighter William Wallace had already been captured and cruelly executed.