“Full of tasty morsels…A delightful book to arm one for the next dull cocktail party.” — Chicago Tribune “Surprising…the essentials of fascinating stories are here.” — Dallas Morning News “100 stories you haven’t heard will delight in knowing.…Lively, offbeat and surprising in quick-hit snippets.” — Denver Rocky Mountain News “History like you’ve never read it before…Amusing.” — The Tennessean History isn't always made by great armies colliding or by great civilizations rising or falling. Sometimes it's made when a chauffeur takes a wrong turn, a scientist forgets to clean up his lab, or a drunken soldier gets a bit rowdy. That's the kind of history you'll find in The Greatest Stories Never Told. This is history candy -- the good stuff. Here are 100 tales to astonish, bewilder, and stupefy: more than two thousand years of history filled with courage, cowardice, hope, triumph, sex, intrigue, folly, humor, and ambition. It's a historical delight and a visual feast with hundreds of photographs, drawings, and maps that bring each story to life. A new discovery waits on every page: stories that changed the course of history and stories that affected what you had for breakfast this morning. Consider: The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer The Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer Some Roman officials were so corrupt that they actually stole time itself Some Roman officials were so corrupt that they actually stole time itself Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War The Scottish kilt was invented by an EnglishmanBased on the popular Timelab 2000® history minutes hosted by Sam Waterston on The History Channel®, this collection of fascinating historical tidbits will have you shaking your head in wonder and disbelief. But they're all true. And you'll soon find yourself telling them to your friends. The Scottish kilt was invented by an Englishman Based on the popular Timelab 2000® history minutes hosted by Sam Waterston on The History Channel®, this collection of fascinating historical tidbits will have you shaking your head in wonder and disbelief. But they're all true. And you'll soon find yourself telling them to your friends. Rick Beyer is the author of the popular Greatest Stories Never Told book series, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been seen on The History Channel, A&E, and National Geographic Channel. He is also an accomplished speaker who inspires and entertains audiences around the country. He lives with his wife in Lexington, Massachusetts. Read more
Features & Highlights
100 fascinating, unexpected, and startling stories you didn’t learn in history class, presented by The History Channel
History is filled with unpredictable people and unbelievable stories. Consider:
• The Pilgrims landed in Plymouth because they ran out of beer.
• Annie Oakley almost shot Kaiser Wilhelm before WWI.
• Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War.
• The stethoscope was invented when a modest French doctor didn’t want to put his ear to the lavish bosom of a female patient.
• An Italian priest perfected the first practical fax machine in 1863.
• Teddy Roosevelt is the father of football’s forward pass.
• And believe it or not, actress Hedy Lamar not only appeared in the movies’ first nude scene, but later patented an idea that formed the basis for cell phone encryption. As Dave Barry would say, you can’t make this stuff up.
Inspired by the History Channel series Timelab 2000®,
The Greatest Stories Never Told
features the most startling stories ever plucked from the pages of history. The stories are accompanied by more than 400 illustrations gathered from libraries, archives and private collections the world over.
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
★★★★★
60%
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★★★★
25%
(125)
★★★
15%
(75)
★★
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
1.0
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At least one story told wrong
I'm an avid reader of history, as well as processing a degree in the subject. So imagine my surprise when, after receiving this book from a friend of mine for Christmas, I read the erroneous account of the Children's Crusade of 1212. I had done research on this topic, so I was horrified to read the completely inaccurate account of what occurred. Had the author not read any historical analysis on the subject from the last 50 years? If he had, he would have realized that there were actually two crusades - one consisting of mainly French people led by Stephen of Cloyes who, when told to turn back by King Philip II, did so. That ended that crusade. The other one, led by a shepherd from Germany named Nicholas, led a group across the Alps into Italy. Some left for home while others continued on to Rome. It's interesting to note that in Rome, many received dispensations from their crusading vows because these "children" were either too old or because they were pregnant. Perhaps until relatively recently, people believed in the Children's Crusade because it represented a morality play or because some historians gave too much credit to chronicles (like Chronica Albrici monachi Trium Fontium) which were written long after the crusade supposedly occurred, rather than relying on more contemporary sources. Nor did they realize that the latin word "pueri" used in the chronicles can have several meanings (such as unmarried men rather than children).
In the final analysis, you just can't rely on books like these to really teach you history. The best you can do is read what they tell you and then try to verify it. If only the author had bothered to check the History Channel's own account of the Children's Crusade on their website, or perhaps read the excellent paper done by Peter Raedts in the Journal of Medieval History, or even just checked out the brief but accurate entry online in wikipedia. The book gave two pages to this event, and sadly got it completely wrong.
For this gross oversight, I am compelled to give it one star. Readers of history, never just believe what you read - verify.
153 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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The overlooked past brought into the spotlight
Beyer is an author who is dedicated to making history interesting and fun, which he does so well in this collection of one page stories. I found the book especially interesting because of the background work the author had put into his research (the imprint of the History Channel did not hurt either) which raised these tidbits above the normal trivia, or potential urban legends. Beyer highlights some things that should not be lost in the mists of history, and points out historical facts that may be glossed over in many other history books. There is nothing earth shattering here, but more than a few will make you scratch your head, or share with others in conversation. A great book for dipping your toe in history - each story is about a page of text and is well illustrated. There is just enough to get you the interesting point without boring you. It's a truly fun and fascinating book.
108 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Something for everyone in this friendly and fun book
This is not a coffee-table book, it's a briefcase book, a bathroom book, a bedside book, a stuck-in-traffic book. It's a book for dads and kids, a book for teachers and students, a book for priests and ministers (great sermon material!), and a great gift for practically everyone. My personal favorite involves what Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp were doing during the 1920s--I won't give away the story but Wyatt was in Hollywood and Bat was in Manhattan! It's clear that the author is not a student of history, he's a lover of history, and the enthusiasm and excitement with which he approaches his subject comes through on every page.
108 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Fun trivia, with limitations
This book gives little snippets of history information. Each subject gets a few short, well-written paragraphs, plus a few accompanying illustrations. A lot of the stories are of the "If he'd only turned left instead of right, history would be different" genre.
This book has several limitations. For one thing, its view of "history" is pretty limited: most of the book involves events that took place in the last two centuries, mostly in or involving the United States, and mostly involving white men. Most of the stories are about inventions or war. The second limitation is that it's an overstatement to say these stories where "never told." I'd heard many before, and quite a few are common knowledge. Third, the entries are very brief and, while the author does cite his sources, he does not give any other resources for more information.
All that having been said, the entries are light and entertaining, and I did certainly learn some new things. Most trivia fans would probably enjoy this book.
38 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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200 Pages of WOW!
In the past, I have typically not been one for advocating the idea of revising history as we know it, but this book has caused me to wonder if the lessons from the past that have been taught to so many of us have amounted to a series of partially distorted articles, at best, or a pack of lies, at worst.
In one account, there was a leading nineteenth-century American literary figure who wrote a fictional work on one of the most famous explorers from the late 1400's. It portrayed this particular individual as mainly a visionary who overcame the superstitions of his time in order to make great discoveries. Though this picture might be partly true, a key issue brought forth was entirely fictional. Nevertheless, this particular book became very popular as a required reading for schoolchildren and over time, because of the heroic elements espoused, the tales were so popular that people wanted to believe them to be factual. Since then, this author's version of this explorer's events "would long endure in the national consciousness" and be immortalized as history as it actually happened. Talk about a paradox: to be regarded as someone who would go down in history as someone who overcame myths in such a way that it, itself, is another myth. Sheesh!!
Though many a fact finder might wish that this particular legend could be isolated as the only fairy tale that has been misconstrued for truth, The Greatest Stories Never Told reveals to the reader that this is not so. There are other accounts that show that our significant historical events are not always due to forthright purposes set out by forthcoming, stout individuals. Sometimes random elements come into play à la The Butterfly Effect that can have a significant impact upon the outcome of a war. For instance, without giving away the details, so little as one piece of paper might have prevented General George Washington's rise to greatness against the British.
In sum, The Greatest Stories Never Told is a fascinating book. In my opinion, it can set forth arguments and debates covering other specialized fields, especially philosophy, political science, physics, and theology. I have always been convinced that we have a tendency to portray history the way we want to either remember it or learn it, but the manner in which some of these bits and pieces have been espoused for decades and centuries is quite disturbing.
15 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Perfect for bathroom reading.
Honestly, a good little book for putting on the back of the toilet.
Interesting topics, nice little anecdotes, and a quick read. Good for hanging out on the porcelain throne for a bit and losing yourself in the stories.
A few stories caused me to bookmark and research further, which takes you down the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia.
Good read. Nice and compact book too.
13 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Good Starting Book
If you are starting your love affair with history, this is the book for you. The "tidbits" of history will take through the span of general history and will help you decide your likes and dislikes in history. This is also a good book for anyone who likes throwing around history factoids at dinner parties, luncheons, and other places. For the serious professional historian, this book will not provide a deep and thorough analysis of history, but as a serious historian myself, its a nice book for a bit of light reading.
13 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Greatest stories never told... told
It is an interesting premise for a book - that many of the events we choose to enter into histories are created by the same forces creating more ordinary events - the Gods, or happenstance or luck. It was enjoyable thinking about history in this way. We can easily forget that history is created by humans in relation to other humans, to nature, to unknown forces. What we glean from these interactions and decide to call history is but one aspect of a terribly complicated multidimensional world.
12 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Fascinating facts
A very entertaining collection of stories of unusual events and people from history. Arranged chronologicaly, starting with the Romans who stole time, and proceeding through such enthralling tales as the man who didn't discover America because he wanted to get home,and king Edward II' valiant but futile attempt to ban soccer (now I know why he was murdered, it was enraged footer fans). Some cherished myths are briskly disposed of, like the notion that medieval people thought the world was flat, and we learn that the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock because they'd run out of beer. A few of the stories in this book were known to me already, most weren't. At $12.57, that's only about 12 cents per fascinating fact, cheap at the price I would say. Who would you say was the most unlikely person to have saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son? If you don't know already you need to buy this book.
11 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Fun little book, but not very accurate
I bought this book as a present for my daughter's 10th birthday. She loves history (as do I) and I thought that the stories would be nice quick reads at bedtime.
Each story is a very short very brief synopsis of an event with a couple of photos and a couple more related snipets. It does make you want to google the event to find out more information. I would prefer that it included more information about each event. Each story is about a 1 minute read, rather than the 5-10 that I expected.
Also, it is fun, but take it with a grain of salt. I found some storys that are well known tales, but are not accurate - such as the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth and did not continue on to Virginia because they were out of beer.
It is a nice little book for quick tales that you can use to have fun and get and interest for history. Then pick the subjects to look into further on the internet.
