That's Not in My American History Book

by Thomas Ayres

A Compilation of Little Known Events and Forgotten Heroes

This book tackles the messy details, reclaims disregarded heroes, and sets the record straight. It also explains why July 4th isn't really Independence Day.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Audiobook, Historical, American, Trivia

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of a cross between "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" & Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story", so fun but not really a great history. One of his inspirations for this book was Doug Storer (1899–1985) the guy who created & wrote radio programs from the 1930s to the 1960s, including "Ripley's Believe It or Not!".

Ayers does tell some fine tales & they're factually correct, even mostly accurate, but his editing sometimes doesn't allow for the full story. In at least one case, he didn't even tell the rest of the story. I'm thinking of Sybil Ludington's midnight ride. While he set the record straight on Paul Revere & the rest, he fails to mention that Sybil rode 40 miles in a side saddle. I've seen a 70+ year old woman take a 3' jump in one at a gallop while riding to the hunt, but I still think they are deadfall devices created by a guy that hated women so that fact should have been mentioned.

All kidding aside, there were a few other instances, such as that surrounding Benedict Arnold's career where he left out some of the best parts & subscribed motives that I didn't think were strictly accurate. Still, he sets the record straight on George Washington's biographer, Weems(?) who created such fictions as the cherry tree story. IMO, he doesn't villify Washington Irving properly for his fictitious contributions to our history.

I couldn't find a table of contents for this book, but it's split into about a half dozen parts that each deal with an overall idea such as 'Forgotten Heroes', 'Lost Between the Pages', & such. That made for some repetition, but not too much. Very well narrated & a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I truly did enjoy this book, I'm going to spend most of the review complaining about it. As implied by the title, Ayres reveals several of the lesser-known facts of American history, which is awesome for a history buff like me. He certainly doesn't lack for content, explaining how the Wright Brothers weren't the first human aviators, Betsy Ross didn't create the first American flag, and the Wild West wasn't really as wild as Hollywood has led us to believe. However, there are others that present similar information with better style and more panache, so this is not the first place to turn for American history trivia.

Ayres' introduction (in which he lays out his great disgust for the way American history is taught in public schools, thinly veiling his belief that if he were in charge of writing history textbooks, they'd be a lot better) is so dry and pompous, that I almost gave up. Luckily that is the worst part of the book. Unfortunately, it never gets much better than mediocre. Ayres stick to the newspaperman's style of "tell it to them, tell it to them with detail, and then tell it to them again" a little too strictly, as I often felt like I was hearing the exact same information repeated several times. I thought maybe my CD player was acting up, but alas, his writing was really that poor. Maybe if he made his introductions more introductory, rather than headline-like snippets of the content, they'd be less obnoxious. Of course then his actual content would have to be written in a more lively manner too. While the facts he relays can't help but be interesting, that's really in spite of his somewhat dry presentation. American high school students would only be slightly less bored with him than their regular text books. While I came out of the public school system enthralled by history, after listening to this book, I can see his point for the need of more accurate and interesting instruction in the subject. I just wished he hadn't been so heavy-handed in getting his point across. The thought running through my head for the majority of this book was how someone like Bill Bryson (my personal favorite, but there are others equally talented) could make this book so much more fun to read.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very interesting stories, although after looking a little closer a few might be speculative. For example - check out the story on how the song "Taps" was originated. I looked into this and it might just be an urban legend.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audiobook. It was very interesting, but unfortunately completely unsourced, so you just have to decide if you are going to accept what the author presents as fact or not. Perhaps the printed version would include source references.

[Steve Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally like books like these. I enjoy reading works containing little vignettes of history. They often spur me on to reading more on an historical topic with which I was unfamiliar. But this book answers the question implied by the title: The reason it wasn’t in your American history book is that Ayres’ stories simply aren’t reliable as history. His book is entertaining and might appeal to your inner twelve year old, but far too much of his work is fiction.

Ayres compiles a bunch of stories rooted in truth, but marred by myth, half-truths, factoids and downright falsehoods. The most generous thing I can say about his work is that he was sloppy. As I listened I found repeated instances where the stories were unreliable. Examples:

Ayres says that the story of Washington throwing a coin across the Potomac “may or may not be true.”. Nonsense. It simply isn’t true. It’s physically impossible. The United States Geographical Service writes the following concerning the Potomac: “The river is about 11 miles wide between Point Lookout and Smith Point. Upstream, from Great Falls to Harpers Ferry, it averages about 1,300 feet in width.” George Washington didn’t throw any object, coin or otherwise, 433.33 yards.

In discussing the assassination attempt on Andrew Jackson’s life, Ayres describes the malfunction of the pistols used in the attempt. The percussion caps went off, but the propellant charges did not. He described this resulting in a “deafening explosion.” It is not. Anyone familiar with percussion caps know that it’s more like a loud cap gun going off. It’s hardly “deafening” and not much of an explosion. Either he read an unreliable account or he embellished it to make it seem more dramatic. If the latter, it didn’t need embellishment at all. It’s a fascinating story when represented truthfully.

Ayres writes that the alleged lover of President James Buchanan, William Rufus King, was “openly gay”. No politician in the 19th century was openly gay. While King may well have been gay, claiming that he was open about it is ludicrous. If he’d been “openly gay” his political career and reputation would have ended quite quickly. As it was, he was elected Vice President of the United States, and died in office after six weeks.

His account of the assassination attempt of Theodore Roosevelt makes it sound as if the attempt was made while Roosevelt was giving a speech. This isn’t true. He was shot while on his way to a speech. Ayers stated at one point Roosevelt passed out from blood loss. He did not. He completed his full and rather lengthy speech, and then agreed to be examined. Doctors determined the wound was a flesh wound and the bullet was lodged in his chest muscle. They didn’t perform surgery. Roosevelt was more of a badass than Ayres gives him credit for being.

He says that Thomas Paine’s body was returned to Great Britain for burial in his “native land”. Thomas Paine was buried on his own property in America, his adoptive country, in accordance with his own wishes. His body was stolen, sent to Great Britain, and lost. Nobody knows what eventually happened to it. Ayres tells you none of that.

Ayres fosters more than one of the many conspiracy theories that Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, escaped capture and that the person who was killed in the barn weeks after the assassination was someone else. Ayres fails to mention that Booth’s private effects were found in the pockets of the suspect, including his diary and a picture of several actresses he’d performed with, as well as his girlfriend.

These silly theories are mocked by legitimate historians, and shouldn’t be considered by professional journalists. There are a number of things about the Booth capture/killing that Ayres misses or willfully ignores.

I have absolutely no tolerance for conspiracy theorists, and by including this story, he loses all credibility.

[Vance Christiaanse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book was an unpleasant experience but I had trouble articulating why as I logged my progress on GoodReads. It took me a long time to force my way through to the end, even though it's a short book and an easy read. When I finally finished, I then read other reviews and would have to agree with the negative ones. I can now put my own objections into words.

There is a grating smugness to the writing, with hints of racism and misogyny. The author doesn't seem to be trying to help the reader gain deeper insights into history. Instead the goal seems to be providing trivia you can use to annoy people with at parties. Reviewers who know more about history than I do point out that some of what is presented here may not even be correct.

If you want to learn more about American history, I strongly recommend that you read some other book.

[Anno Nomius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book. Good book to whet your appetite as this is not a in depth researched book and bases itself on articles and newspaper clippings and even the author says so . So read it with that mindset, everything in the book may not be true. Think of this book as a taster's menu perhaps read it with an open mind for information you didn't know and let that whet your appetitive to learn more about the past. Some of the stories were funny, especially the one where Lincoln wife is brandishing a knife. Some like the origin of lynching is interesting. The colorful presidents (many of whom were excellent athletes) we have had and perhaps the current one is not the most corrupt. One thing stark was the absence of mention of Alexander Hamilton. Also the book did not delve too much into America's dark past. Overall I would rate it a light read.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one mostly for its entertainment value more so than its scholarship. That's not to say that there are not many long-held historical tidbits that turn out to not be as originally advertised, i.e., George Washington and that darn cherry tree. In the end I wonder if we might not be "fact checking" ourselves into total ignorance. I have no problem acknowledging that Columbus may have set off knowing full well the Earth is a sphere-like orb. I think the more interesting story may turn out to be why Washington Irving came up with the Columbus story that we all may have learned. But I suppose that anyone who wrote for Robert Ripley ought to be given some leeway in truth-telling just to keep selling all those "Believe It Or Not Books."

Perhaps my favorite was the Lindbergh story and him being the 84th person to fly across the Atlantic. We get teams of flyers, dirigibles, and seaplanes. Finally, Ayres fesses up that, "Yes, Lindbergh was the first solo pilot to cross the Atlantic." The devil is in those pesky details.

[Anup Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for any history buff! I loved it, one fascinating anecdote after another with a series of mythbusters in American history. A recurring theme for me is how those who record history are the ones who frame it, often incorrectly. There's a lot of that and there's a lot of "heroes" who have just been forgotten.

Ayres nailed this book. This would make a great miniseries and many of these anecdotes could make great movies on their own.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as novel as the title would have you believe. I'd heard/knew at least half of the "little known" stories.

[daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

george smathers ran against claude pepper for the u.s. senate in florida in 1950. in his campaign speeches, smathers began disdainfully referring to pepper as 'a known extrovert.' smathers revealed that his opponent's sister was 'a thespian,' and accused pepper's brother of being 'a practicing homo sapiens.' he charged that while attending college, pepper 'matriculated on campus,' and that he 'engaged in celibacy' before he was married.
smathers won the election.

genius.

gustave whitehead
sibyl ludington
jonas salk
the true story of pocahontas (see: the new world)
why the british own california
the 82nd person to fly across the atlantic ocean: charles lindbergh
benedict arnold's story
mrs. lincoln was crazypants
honest abe was a wrestling maniac
arthur furguson
and the adventure aboard the 'american turtle'
(...among many others)

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining book, but be careful of the inaccuracies or oversimplifications. Shay's rebellion started in 1786, not 1886. George Washington died from epiglottitis, and I think the book oversimplifies the case in saying that he died from the bloodletting procedures. Overall, I think the book hits on a lot of things, some rumor, some in which have inaccuracies, but one has to take it with a grain of salt.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

That's because some of it didn't happen. This is one of those books one might pick up from the bargain bin. If you don't already know your history, just leave this book lying there. Otherwise you'll get a few good anecdotes along with some that are simply not true and have been debunked.

[Person Urqy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I thought this book was about... It's more about the untold heros and scandals and that sort of deal than controversial history (which is what I expected). Still a great read though! My favorite chapter was Communists in Texas

[Jenna Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! While being educational this book was not overbearing, nor did it take its self to seriously. Short but in depth chapters.

[caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good historian does not obscure facts. Ayres is not a good historian.

Reasons I did not like this book:

1) This book was written with a straight white male audience in mind, and the pithy comments often veered toward the racist, sexist, homophobic.

Why is it essential to describe Belle Starr's apparently-ungainly appearance as described in "Wild West Cowboys and Outlaw Queens", and not those of Buffalo Bill or Billy the Kidd? Why does it matter, what does it contribute to the narrative?

Why does Ayres wait 'til the last line of "The Unsung Pathfinder" to mention that the incredible and accomplished James Pierson Beckwourth was a Black man? That Beckwourth was so accomplished as an explorer is amazing, but that he was an accomplished and successful explorer while most Black Americans were in bondage is even more amazing. Why doesn't Ayres make more of an emphasis on that significant fact? It's a huge part of Beckwourth's story and it's just left as a last-line shocker. Why?

2) Many of the brief vignettes seemed to be filler material, and facts and historical narratives are manipulated to fit the book's "stuff you didn't know" theme.

Um, no, the British do not own California, and the land that we call "California" today has gone through numerous colonizations in between Drake's claim and its entry into the Union in 1850, as ignored in "Do the British Own California?".

As is obscured in "The 82nd Man to Fly Across the Atlantic" Lindbergh might've been the 82nd man to cross the Atlantic by plane, but he was the first to complete a successful solo flight. Ayres frequently ignores the qualifiers to make his points, a sign of an lazy historian.

[Chase Parsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun book! Thomas Ayres writes an easy read of little known facts about American history. Some of the amazing stories told were: how the Cleveland Indians got their name (after an unknown, crazily talented Native American player who succumbed to alcoholism), how an invasion of horseflies might have sped up the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Poverty Point - a metropolis in Native America, how Ironclad ships were invented, how the state of Massachusetts abolished slavery and started a trend, the history of dirt in Presidential elections and the nicknames of presidents, a conspiracy theory on the escape of John Wilkes Booth, and lots more.

On the surprising side, I just finished David McCullough's book about the Wright Brothers, and I was surprised that Ayres insisted that Gustave Whitehead was the first to fly (McCullough denies this claim). Also, the chapter on Columbus is interesting. The pre-Columbus expeditions mentioned are far more extensive than what I have previously known. It is one of those "trust but verify" situations!

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Ayres makes American history fun and interesting.  Ayres has fun bursting a bunch of bubbles:

*George Washington did not have wooden teeth but he did have an impossible mother.
*The Wright brothers weren't the first to fly an airplane in America; a German who didn't speak very much English did.
*Betsy Ross didn't stitch up the first flag; a later relative made that statement (with no proof; it was also unlikely) and it stuck.
*Patrick Henry was a recent graduate of Yale when he was hanged; his last words were unknown.
*The true story about how the Cleveland Indians got their name -- from a real Indian who was an incredible athlete.

At the beginning, Thomas Ayres tells the engaging story of why he wrote this book.  History Buffs, this is a great gift to yourself or any other person who finds history interesting.

[Bryan Nann MBA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was quite interesting until the author began to make unsubstantiated personal attacks on former US presidents such as, "he was the most inept president in history". While the author is certainly entitled to their personal opinion, these statements only tarnish the credibility of a work claiming factual accounts of events. Unfortunately I lost interest in the rest of the book at that point.
As others have commented, the book blurs the line between real history and urban legend, adding to the current dilemma of fake news and lack of fact checking. It should probably be reclassified as fiction or entertainment to prevent readers from thinking it true history.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really concise essays. They are well written and some are a lot of fun. Well worth finding. Most textbooks for history have their content "approved" by the state that buys the most. That is usually Texas and they get to say what version of history is in your high school textbook. Better to read books like this to find out what our history is. Having been to Mount Vernon, I knew it was Washington's brother who actually built the place but you will not find that in most history books. They refer to it as George Washington's house but never mention that it was his elder brothers and that George inherited it when he was only 21.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook) A solid read about some of those facts and people that you didn't get a lot of the real details in your American history class. Some of the points I had heard before and others were completely new to me. This particular work is a bit dated, but the subject area mostly holds (although we have to include the rather large caveat about Washington's false teeth...they didn't come from animals, but history is now revealing that they came from slaves or lower-income individuals who would sell them for use in his false teeth). Aside over, it works as a fun audiobook that should generate a few head-nods or some "huh, I did not know that." type things. Perhaps a checkout for Libby/etc.

[Jo-Ann Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun easy book to read. Most of the stories are only a page or two so it is easy to read while traveling or in a waiting room. It points out that many of the stories in our school history books are total fabrications. However, it is also an example of how difficult history can be as some of his facts, are not so much facts either. But it does open the mind to other perspectives and teaches a lot of unknown facts.

[Nebel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even get through the "note on political correctness" holy shit the red flags are a flying. "I'm not racist" yeah you are. "I'm not a historian" yeah I can tell.

the American Exceptionalism in this is honestly quite impressive and absolutely wild to go from books about extensive pre Columbian south American history to "did you know? native Americans had big societies before Columbus. but remember we 'won' :D"

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting, quick read as long as you are not fussy about discerning fact from fiction. This collection of items is presented in typical journalistic fashion—no footnotes or references. The author’s experience as an editor for “Amazing but True” stories is evident in these literary “sound bites.”

[Silvia Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh. great read if you take it with you everywhere you go.. it’s so easy and convenient to pull it out and read a little section while waiting in lines and whatnot and put it back down since it just jumps from fact to fact! I guess it’s a great interruptible book and you learn from it!

didn’t hold my interest a whole lot past the subheadings🤭

[Arnold hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history book that is fun to read. it is good to read a book that tells the real history as it should have been told from the beginning. I feel this book should replace some of the history books that put in what they considered history to only be false and replace with a book with true history. A book that can be fun for students to read and actually be active in a history class.

[Al · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to like this book but it’s mostly a lot of superficial vignettes about obscure or lesser know facts. A fair amount of the content borders on silly and the stories that I found most interesting deserve a much longer treatment if not a book of their own. Nonetheless, an easy, fun read just not serious history.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are some interesting stories in the book, few go beyond the level of pub trivia and many tend to gloss over parts that would lead to greater historical understanding. The best thing about this book is that it might lead somebody to a real history of one of Ayers's subjects.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book full of facts setting the record straight. Easy to digest and understand. I listened to it. The narrator’s voice was a little irritating but I got accustomed to it after a bit. Great for history teachers like me.

[John Albers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a study of American History that pokes holes in certain myths and beliefs that were created in elementary schools and by teachers who really didn't want to dig deep American history. It's one of those books you should keep on your shelves for a rainy day or a three-hour flight.