[Stuff You Missed in History Class: A Guide to History's Biggest Myths, Mysteries, and Marvels] [By: HowStuffWorks.com] [September, 2014]

by HowStuffWorks

In this exciting, interactive eBook, the minds behind HowStuffWorks.com's top-rated podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class bring you the real scoop on history's biggest myths, mysteries, and marvels. Discover history as you never knew it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 4, 2013

About the author

HowStuffWorks.com is the source for credible, unbiased explanations of how the world actually works. Our premise is simple: Demystify the world in a way that anyone can understand.

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are bored with reading the good stuff then this book is for you. Ok, sometimes you just need a quick break. This book has interesting trivia tidbits and amusing facts about history. It refreshes the ole mind and gets you out of the rut you were in.
So, carry on and take a break.

[Keith Beasley-Topliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of neat stuff in here: vikings, torture, badly botched crimes, prohibition (though a lot of that chapter I did learn in History classes). There is also some less neat stuff, like most of the chapter on witchcraft with some questionable stuff about the Salem trials and the longest section in the book (about modern wicca and magick). So it goes. It's all handled pretty lightly and makes for easy reading mostly.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it would be more fun and funny, but turns out it’s simply factual! Still, well-written, but not quite in-depth enough on anything to be truly satisfying tasing to me.

[K M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been an invaluable resource for both motivation to weed the garden while listening and potential further reading. I try not to be more than a couple of weeks behind.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a a pretty good book. It was a pretty good non-fiction book, It covered a lot of different history from all over the world. The only things that I didn't like were that it had a kind of weird writing style and the history seemed very random. It is a good book if you like history. This book took a lot of existing theories and either proved them wrong or explained them more. This book starts in the very beginning and goes in order from there. The only thing that I didnt like was that it had these little quizzes along the way. I just thought it was kind of annoying. Otherwise it was a pretty good book.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

A poor book; and I'm disappointed to say that. Poorly written and edited. Some information is just wrong: much of the chapter on the Inquisition is incomplete and some just inaccurate. The chapter on Jack the Ripper, which focused extensively on Patricia Cornwell's book was written entirely without reading her book (the book isn't even cited in the bibliography). The chapters on Rosie the Riveter, the purchase of Manhattan, and the CIA/MKULTRA were full of holes that made them almost misleading. Again, disappointing. Love the podcast. Not this book.

[Eva Cg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing very new or marvelous, and I'm not a huge history buff. It went more for the spectacular than substantial. All in all, it's not really adult material - more for elementary school children. Also, what was up with the digression into Wiccans? I mean, okay, they started some way in the past, like 60 or something years ago, but does this mean they merit a place in this book, among the History's Biggest Myths, Mysteries and Marvels? A disappointment, all in all.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another book that doesn't exactly live up to its title. It's an inoffensive historical potpurri of a primer, but it realy should be called "Lurid Stuff You Won't Necessarily Miss in History Class". With its hodg-podge of the innocuous and the nightmarish, this is about as historically random a book as you are likely to find.

[A. Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one! It had short, entertaining snippets, side-notes and was just generally more entertaining than history class. Will I remember anything from it? Probably not. Did I have fun reading it? Yes I did!

[Carol Havlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the podcast. The book is like the podcast in that some stories I was interested, some wanting more, some not so much . But Overall, as a fan it was a good read

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fan of the podcast, but not this book. There's nothing here that isn't found in the podcast or Wikipedia.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting articles on subjects from ninjas to witchcraft to medieval torture to CIA LSD trials.