History in General

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  Ailing, Aging, Addicted: Studies of Compromised Leadership

  What role did drug abuse play in John F. Kennedy's White House, and how was it kept from the public? How did general anesthetics and aging affect the presidency of Ronald Reagan? Why did Winston Churchill become more egocentric, Woodrow Wilson more self- righteous, and Josef Stalin more paranoid as they aged—and how did those qualities alter the course of history?

  Was Napoleon poisoned with arsenic or did underlying disease account for his decline at the peak of his power? Does syphilis really explain Henry VIII's midlife transformation? Was there more than messianism brewing in the brains of some zealots ...Read More

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  Tobacco Merchant: The Story of Universal Leaf Tobacco Company

  Maurice Duke and Daniel P. Jordan vividly describe the colorful life and times of one of the South’s—and America’s—most important businesses and provide insight into how luck, management practices, and personalities helped the company rise to international prominence.

  Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, the world’s largest independent leaf tobacco dealer, is one of the major buying arms for tobacco manufacturers worldwide, selecting, purchasing, processing, and storing leaf tobacco. The story opens during the aftermath of the Civil War when Southerners realized once again the worldwide potential of their native crop.

  The authors follow the company from its incorporation in 1918 through ...Read More

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  Ambrose Bierce is Missing: And Other Historical Mysteries

  What constitutes historical truth is often subject to change. Through ingenious detection, the accepted wisdom of one generation may become the discredited legend of another—or vice versa. In this wide- ranging study of historical investigation, former detective Joe Nickell allows the reader to look over his shoulder as he demonstrates the use of varied techniques in solving some of the world's most perplexing mysteries.

  All the major categories of historical mystery are here—ancient riddles, biographical enigmas, hidden identity, “fakelore,” questioned artifacts, suspect documents, lost texts, obscured sources, and scientific challenges. Each is then illustrated by a complete case from the ...Read More

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  The Comet Connection: Escape from Hitler's Europe

  In November 1943, George Watt, Flying Fortress gunner, parachuted out of his burning bomber and landed in a village in Nazi-occupied Belgium. The villagers risked their lives to hide him in the field, sneaking him past the German patrols, and bringing him safely to Brussels, where he connected with the Comet Line, the rescue arm of the Belgian resistance.

  While hiding in "safe houses" in Brussels, Watt had a ringside view of bold acts of defiance by Belgian patriots against the German occupation. From Brussels he traveled by rail past Gestapo control to Bordeaux, rode a bicycle through southern France, ...Read More