Tag Archives: history

A Man on the Moon

Posted on August 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

A Man on the Moon:  the Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts © 1994 Andrew Chaikin670 pages Yet a higher goal was calling, and we vowed to reach it soon So we gave ourselves a decade to put fire on the moon … Continue reading →

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Lost Moon

Posted on August 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Lost Moon: the Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13© 1994 Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger368 pages No one wants to hear ominous noises coming from their car in the middle of a road trip, especially if they’re in the middle of nowhere. … Continue reading →

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The Artificial River

Posted on July 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Artificial River: the Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1867© 1997 Carol Sheriff272 pages At the dawn of a new century, the two-decade old American republic stood hemmed in between storm-tossed Atlantic ocean and the towering Appalachian mountains. … Continue reading →

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The Age of Napoleon

Posted on July 14, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Age of Napoleon© 2004 Alistair Horne218 pages Napoleon Bonaparte cast a long shadow over history, considering the relative slightness of his origins. Who would expect a boy from a conquered island to rise to the height of power and … Continue reading →

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Founding Brothers

Posted on June 30, 2012 by smellincoffee

Founding Brothers:  the Revolutionary Generation © 2000 288 pages Laboring always at the same oar, with some wave ever ahead threatening to overwhelm us, and yet passing harmless under our bark, we knew not how, we rode through the storm … Continue reading →

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Something from the Oven

Posted on June 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America 306 pages © 2004 Laura Shaprio      The latter half of the 20th century saw the United States convulsed with social change. Millions of women and blacks who found their … Continue reading →

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A History of the World in Six Glasses

Posted on May 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

A History of the World in Six Glasses© 2006 Tom Standage311 pages A toast to human enterprise! Pick your poison — beer, wine, rum, tea, coffee, or Coca-Cola. Three are alcoholic, three are caffienated: all were the stuff of empires, … Continue reading →

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Salt

Posted on April 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

Salt: A World History© 2003 Mark Kurlansky498 pages Last Autumn, my doctor advised me to start watching the amount of salt in my diet, and so I did. That this was a concern surprised me: I was never one to … Continue reading →

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Blood, Iron, and Gold

Posted on April 7, 2012 by smellincoffee

Blood, Iron, and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World© 2009 Christian Wolmar376 pages Outside of the wheel, the railways may be the single most influential form of transportation ever invented by human beings. This is a bold claim, but … Continue reading →

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Founding Rivals

Posted on March 16, 2012 by smellincoffee

Founding Rivals | Madison vs. Monroe: the Bill of Rights and the Election that Saved a Nation© 2011 Chris DeRose336 pages In these days of contentious politics, where adversaries rip into one another with all the grace of beasts,  Chris … Continue reading →

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