Ebooks de historia, página 5 de 26

In Vernon, New Jersey, there was a theme park with no rules. At Action Park, the wave pool was nicknamed "The Grave Pool," the Alpine Slide tore skin off bone, and the loop-de-loop water slide was tested by employees for $100 (many lost teeth). It was a libertarian paradise of insurance fraud, teenage drunkenness, and engineering negligence.This book is a hilarious and horrifying oral history of "Class Action Park." It explores how Gene Mulvihill built an empire on the philosophy that people should control their own thrills, even if that meant risking death. It captures the chaotic spirit of the 1980s, where safety regulations were merely suggestions and survival was part of the ticket price.

The world was once a place of insurmountable distances until humanity learned to conquer friction. The Wheel Mandate documents the mechanical revolution that laid the foundation for every civilization. From Sumerian potters wheels to the paved roads of Romewe examine how the circular shape exponentially increased human reach. It is the story of logistics as an instrument of power.Learn how the chariot changed warfare and how the heavy cart first made trade in bulk goods possible. We analyze the physical hurdles of land transport and how the wheel fueled the emergence of the first megacities. This book shows that the wheel was not just an invention, but a law of efficiency that reordered the hierarchies of the world. Look behind the heroic battles at the wooden axles that carried empires.A fascinating account of the simplest and at the same time most powerful machine of mankind. Understand the mechanics of transport and how it made our planet shrink. Without the wheel, there would be no stagnation, but also no progress.

In the 1920s, radiation wasnt a danger; it was a cure-all. "Radithor," a patent medicine made of triple-distilled water and radium, promised to cure impotence, fatigue, and aging. Eben Byers, a wealthy industrialist and golf champion, loved it so much he drank three bottles a day. He recommended it to friends and even fed it to his racehorses.Then his teeth started falling out. Then his jaw came off. This is the gruesome but necessary story of the "Radithor" craze and the slow, agonizing death of its most famous advocate. It is a history of unregulated medicine, the publics fascination with the "energy" of the atom, and the tragedy that finally forced the government to regulate radioactive substances.

Before smartphones, wireless technology, and modern electricity, there was a man whose ideas were centuries ahead of his timeNikola Tesla.In this powerful and inspiring biography, you will discover the extraordinary life of the brilliant inventor who revolutionized electricity, pioneered alternating current (AC), and laid the foundation for todays wireless communication systems. From his intense rivalry with Thomas Edison to his groundbreaking experiments that stunned the world, Teslas story is one of genius, sacrifice, and relentless innovation.This book takes you deep into:Teslas childhood and early educationThe truth behind the Tesla vs. Edison rivalryHow alternating current (AC) transformed global power systemsHis bold experiments with wireless energy and radio wavesThe mystery surrounding his later years and lost inventionsThe lasting impact of Teslas ideas on modern technologyMore than just a scientist, Nikola Tesla was a visionary who imagined a future powered by wireless communication, renewable energy, and global connectivitylong before the world was ready.Whether you are a student, science enthusiast, entrepreneur, or someone who loves inspiring true stories of genius minds, this book will open your eyes to the man behind the myths.Discover how one mans ideas helped shape the modern worldand why Nikola Tesla remains one of historys most misunderstood and fascinating inventors.

In 1859, a bankrupt rice merchant named Joshua Norton walked into a newspaper office in San Francisco and declared himself Emperor of the United States. In any other city, he would have been institutionalized. In San Francisco, they saluted him."The Pauper Emperor" is the heartwarming and bizarre true story of Norton I, the monarch who issued his own currency (which local shops accepted), fired Abraham Lincoln by decree, and ordered the building of a bridge that wouldnt be constructed for another sixty years. It explores the psychology of collective delusion and the unique social contract of a city that decided kindness was better than reality. Norton wasnt just a madman; he was a mirror for the American dream in its most unhinged form.

In the winter of 1846, 87 pioneers were trapped by an early blizzard in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Only 48 survived. The story of the Donner Party is infamous for one detail: cannibalism. But focusing on the gruesome end ignores the tragic chain of errors, bad maps, and leadership failures that led them there."The Indifferent Snow" deconstructs the myth of the "monsters" in the mountains. It reveals a story of desperate families, immense courage, and the lethal advice of Lansford Hastings, who promoted a "shortcut" he had never actually traveled. This is a survival analysis of group dynamics under absolute pressure, showing that in the face of nature, character matters more than supplies.

In May 1962, the town council of Centralia, Pennsylvania, hired volunteer firefighters to clean up the town landfill by setting it on fire. It was a routine procedure, but they made a fatal mistake: the landfill sat atop an exposed vein of coal that connected to a vast labyrinth of abandoned mines beneath the town. The fire didnt go out. It went down."The Town That Burned From Beneath" chronicles the slow-motion apocalypse that followed. For decades, the fire raged underground, heating the ground until tomatoes cooked on the vine and carbon monoxide filled basements. The government ignored the problem until a 12-year-old boy fell into a steaming sinkhole that opened up in his backyard.Today, Centralia is a ghost town with a population of less than five. The fire is still burning and is expected to burn for another 250 years. This book is a terrifying look at an environmental disaster that cannot be stopped, exploring the incompetence of bureaucracy and the resilience of the few residents who refused to leave their burning homes.

In 2011, a young idealist named Ross Ulbricht launched a website called Silk Road. It was an Amazon for drugs, hidden in the dark web and powered by a new, untraceable currency called Bitcoin. Ulbricht believed he was creating a libertarian utopia, a free market beyond the reach of the state. "The Pirate Roberts" charts the rise and fall of the worlds most notorious online marketplace.Operating under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht grew his startup into a multimillion-dollar empire. But as the site grew, so did the violence. The book details how the philosophical idealist began ordering hits on blackmailers (though no bodies were found) and how he was hunted by a ragtag team of DEA, FBI, and IRS agents.It culminates in the dramatic arrest in a San Francisco public library, where agents had to snatch his open laptop before he could encrypt it. This is a digital thriller about the corruption of ideals, the birth of the crypto-economy, and the thin line between a startup founder and a drug lord.

Tarrare was a French showman in the late 18th century with an appetite that defied science. He could eat a quarter of a cow in a single day and still be hungry. He swallowed stones, live cats, corks, and baskets of apples. "The Bottomless Stomach" tells the gruesome and tragic true story of the man with the most extreme case of polyphagia (insatiable hunger) ever recorded.The book follows his life from being kicked out by his parents to becoming a street performer and eventually a spy for the French Revolutionary Army. Generals realized his unique talent: he could swallow a metal box containing secret documents, pass through enemy lines, and retrieve the box "naturally." But his hunger was a curse. In the military hospital, he was caught drinking blood from patients undergoing bloodletting and eating corpses from the morgue.When a 14-month-old toddler disappeared from the ward, Tarrare was chased out. This biography is a medical mystery and a horror story, exploring the autopsy results that revealed a stomach that filled his entire abdomen. It is a look at a human life consumed by a biological drive he could not control.

In 1984, the president of Glico, a major Japanese candy company, was kidnapped from his home by masked men. He escaped, but the nightmare was just beginning. A group calling themselves "The Monster with 21 Faces" began sending mocking letters to the police and media, threatening to poison the companys candy on store shelves with cyanide.This book investigates one of the most bizarre unsolved crimes in history. The criminals didnt just want money; they wanted chaos. They taunted the police ("Dear stupid police officers..."), gave clues that led nowhere, and successfully forced recalls that cost millions. The "Fox-Eyed Man," a prime suspect, was spotted multiple times but never caught."The Monster with 21 Faces" explores the cultural impact of the case, which led to the suicide of a police superintendent out of shame. After months of terrorizing multiple food companies, the group simply announced they were bored and would stop harassment. They vanished forever, leaving a nation gripped by paranoia about what was inside their snacks.

Ao elaborar esta coletânea, nosso objetivo foi congregar trabalhos que articulassem pesquisas historiográficas e o ensino de história, a partir de percepções múltiplas de resistência. A resistência p

On October 27, 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet submarine B-59 was trapped deep in the Caribbean. US Navy destroyers were dropping depth charges to force it to surface. Inside, the air conditioning had failed, temperatures rose to 120F, and carbon dioxide levels were toxic. The captain, believing war had already started, ordered the launch of a nuclear torpedo."The Depth of Silence" focuses on Vasili Arkhipov, the Commodore on board who stood between humanity and extinction. Unlike other subs, B-59 required unanimous consent from three officers to launch. The captain and the political officer screamed "Fire!". Arkhipov said "No."This book reconstructs the most dangerous moment in human history, minute by minute. It explores the psychological pressure of the suffocating heat, the terrifying sound of depth charges, and the incredible moral courage of one man who refused to start the apocalypse based on a guess. Arkhipov was never honored in his lifetime; this book gives him the recognition he deserves as the man who saved the world.

The story is legendary: On Halloween night 1938, Orson Welles broadcast a radio adaptation of "The War of the Worlds." Millions of Americans, believing Martians were actually invading New Jersey, fled their homes in terror, clogged highways, and hid in basements. It is cited as the ultimate example of the power of media and human gullibility. There is just one problem: most of it never happened."The Panic That Wasnt" debunks the myth of the War of the Worlds panic. Robert Hughes reveals that the broadcast had very few listeners (most were listening to a ventriloquist act on a rival channel). The reports of mass hysteria were largely fabricated by newspapers the next day. Why? Because the print industry was terrified of the new medium of radio stealing their ad revenue. They wanted to prove that radio was dangerous and untrustworthy.This book is a fascinating investigation into the first major "Fake News" event about fake news. It explores how a small artistic experiment was weaponized by corporate rivals to create a legend that persists to this day. It teaches us to be skeptical not just of what we hear, but of the stories we are told about how we reacted.

In the labs of Los Alamos, after the bombs fell on Japan, one plutonium core remained. The scientists called it "Rufus," but history remembers it as the Demon Core. It was a perfect sphere of death that tolerated no mistakes. Yet, the brilliant physicists played with it, tickling the dragons tail with nothing but a screwdriver and steady hands.This book chronicles the chilling true stories of Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin, who both died triggering the cores blue flash of criticality. It is a harrowing examination of scientific hubris, the psychological disconnect between genius and safety, and the invisible, melting destruction of acute radiation sickness. A gripping reminder that the most dangerous weapon is not the bomb itself, but the arrogance of the men who hold it.

A fitting tribute to the greatest county in England DAVID SWIFT, author of Scouse RepublicCotton, coal and canals. Trains, technology and television. Lancashire has shaped the modern world. Liverpool was once the worlds busiest port. Manchester powered the industrial revolution and became a symbol of global free trade. Blackpool invented the working-class seaside resort. All three are situated in the historic county of Lancashire: unique, often misunderstood, sometimes maligned and at the heart of our national story.In Lancashire, travel writer Chris Moss returns after an absence of four decades. As he visits familiar and unknown corners of his home county, he reaches beyond the cliches to trace lines from the deep past through to the present day.

"With Pictures and Maps"My Disillusionment in Russia is a famous book by Emma Goldman. The book was based on a much longer manuscript entitled "My Two Years in Russia" which was an eyewitness account of events in Russia from 1920 to 1921 that ensued in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and which culminated in the Kronstadt rebellion.Long-concerned about developments with the Bolsheviks, Goldman described the rebellion as the "final wrench. I saw before me the Bolshevik State, formidable, crushing every constructive revolutionary effort, suppressing, debasing, and disintegrating everything".Much to Goldmans dismay, only upon receiving the first printed copies of the book did she become aware that the publisher had changed the title; and the last twelve chapters were entirely missing, including an Afterword which Goldman felt was "the most vital part" of the book. Sympathetic to the initial Russian Revolution, the (complete) book is nonetheless a strong and impassioned left critique of the Bolshevik Revolution as well as Vladimir Lenins New Economic Policy-an "all-powerful, centralized Government with State Capitalism as its economic expression".

On Thanksgiving Eve 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle, ordered a bourbon and soda, and calmly handed the stewardess a note claiming he had a bomb in his briefcase. What followed is the only unsolved air piracy case in commercial aviation history."The Skyjackers Ghost" dissects the legend of D.B. Cooper, the polite criminal who ransomed a plane for $200,000, demanded four parachutes, and then jumped into the freezing rain over the Washington wilderness, never to be seen again. Was he a genius daredevil who escaped to a tropical island, or a desperate amateur who died on impact in the dense forest?This book explores the thousands of FBI files, the discovery of rotting cash on a riverbank years later, and the fascinating lineup of suspectsfrom special forces veterans to transgender mechanics. It goes beyond the facts to examine why Cooper became an American folk hero, a symbol of anti-establishment rebellion who beat the system and vanished into thin air without hurting a soul.

Ancient civilizations achieved engineering feats that challenge modern understanding, constructing monuments whose precision and scale seem impossible given available technology. This exploration examines how societies without modern machinery built structures like Egyptian pyramids, Roman aqueducts, Inca stonework, and Gothic cathedrals, using archaeological evidence, experimental archaeology, and engineering analysis to reconstruct plausible construction methods.Through systematic investigation of tool marks, quarry sites, ramp remains, and structural analysis, discover the practical solutions ancient engineers developed. Examine how Egyptians moved multi-ton blocks using sledges, rollers, and coordinated labor rather than mythical lost technologies. Witness how Roman engineers calculated aqueduct gradients with remarkable precision using simple leveling instruments. Understand how Inca masons achieved earthquake-resistant masonry through empirical experimentation rather than theoretical knowledge.Archaeological evidenceabandoned quarries, unfinished monuments, construction debris, tool assemblagesprovides concrete information about techniques. Experimental archaeology, where researchers attempt reconstruction using period-appropriate methods, tests hypotheses about feasibility and labor requirements. Engineering analysis reveals how ancient builders understood structural principles through practice even without formal mathematical theory.Each case study examines specific monuments and their construction contexts. Understand how social organization enabled massive labor mobilization, how religious or political motivations justified enormous resource investment, how incremental technological improvements accumulated across generations, and how practical problem-solving rather than mysterious lost knowledge explains achievements that continue inspiring wonder.

In 1942, Polish soldiers escaping the Soviet Union via Iran bought a Syrian brown bear cub from a local boy for a few cans of food. They named him Wojtek. But Wojtek didnt stay a pet; he became a soldier. "The Bear Who Went to War" tells the heartwarming and hilarious true story of the only bear to be officially enlisted in a modern army, complete with a rank, serial number, and a paybook.Wojtek grew up drinking beer, smoking cigarettes (which he ate), and wrestling with the troops. But his finest hour came during the brutal Battle of Monte Cassino. Amidst heavy mortar fire, the bear was seen carrying heavy crates of artillery shells to the front lines, never dropping a single one. He became a symbol of hope and resilience for the Polish II Corps.This book follows Wojteks journey from the mountains of Iran to the bloody battles of Italy and finally to his retirement in Edinburgh Zoo. It is a story about the absurdity of war and the incredible bonds that form between humans and animals in the darkest of times.

On a dry September night in 1666, a small fire started in Thomas Farriners bakery on Pudding Lane. Due to a strong wind and the hesitation of the Lord Mayor, who famously remarked a woman could "piss it out," the flames escaped. Four days later, 80% of medieval London was ash. "The City of Embers" is a minute-by-minute account of the Great Fire of London, a disaster that destroyed 13,200 houses and the iconic St. Pauls Cathedral.The book follows the terrified citizens fleeing to the Thames, the diarist Samuel Pepys burying his parmesan cheese to save it from the flames, and the King taking command when the city government failed. But the story doesnt end with the fire. It explores the monumental rebuilding effort led by Christopher Wren, which transformed London from a wooden deathtrap into a modern metropolis of stone and brick.This is a story of destruction and rebirth. It shows how the catastrophe wiped out the last traces of the Great Plague and paved the way for London to become the global capital of the future. It is history written in fire and stone.