History's Greatest Hits: Famous Events We Should Know More About

by Joseph Cummins

Rare Book

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, World History

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2007

About the author

Joseph Cummins is the author of numerous books, including Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential Elections; A Bloody History of the World, which won the 2010 Our History Project Gold Medal Award; and the forthcoming Ten Tea Parties: Patriotic Protests That History Forgot. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

For what it covers it does a great job

The Ancient World 250 BC–500 AD
218 BC: Hannibal Crosses the Alps
44 BC: The Assassination of Julius Caesar
476 AD: The Fall of the Roman Empire
The Middle Ages and Renaissance 1000—1500
1066: The Battle of Hastings
1095–1291: The Crusades
1215: Magna Carta
1347–1349: The Black Death
1415: The Battle of Agincourt
1431: The Execution of Joan of Arc
1478–1530: The Spanish Inquisition
1492: Columbus Arrives in the Americas
The Early Modern Era 1500 –1900
1588: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
1666: The Great Fire of London
1759: The Battle of Quebec
1776: Washington Crosses the Delaware
1789: The Storming of the Bastille
1815: The Battle of Waterloo
1845–1849: The Irish Potato Famine
1854: The Charge of the Light Brigade
1863: The Gettysburg Address
1876: Custer’s Last Stand
A World at War 1900—1950
1915: The Battle of Gallipoli
1916: The Battle of the Somme
1917: The October Revolution
1929: The Wall Street Crash
1940: The Battle of Britain
1941: The Attack on Pearl Harbor
1944: D-Day
1944: The Battle of the Bulge
1945: The Bombing of Hiroshima
The Cold War and Beyond 1950–2001
1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis
1963: The Assassination of President Kennedy
1967: The Six-day War
1968: The Tet Offensive
1969: The First Moon Landing
1989: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
2001: 9/11

It leaves out the Greeks, and all of Asia before World War II, it covers mostly the events I learned in a western middle school but adds enough details that I've either forgotten being taught or actual new material, like how current historians dispute the motivations of the perpetrators of the Assassination of Julius Caesar

[Jim Razinha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of the comments are "great book" about "important events". Well, if the only important events in the world were Euro-American. Pretty one-sided and while a good read, calling it "History's Greatest Hits" shows the western prejudice. Of the 37 events described, one concerned Russia, two Japan (both in the context of WWII), and one Vietnam (again, only because of the US involvement). There are so many events of significance to cull, yet the author called these 37 the "greatest" - sad commentary.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This comprehensive round-up of history's greatest moments was a quick and easy read. It covered a lot of familiar ground for me, but those who do not know much surrounding world history would find it an interesting and informative book. The thing I actually enjoyed the most in this book was the images, some of which I had never seen before, so I did appreciate that. The chapters are short and concise, of course, those who wish to know more about any topics have a reference list to consult, and it runs chronologically as well, so it easy to situate the events covered into the broadness of time and world history.
An entertaining read - 4 stars.

[Paul Curcione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. A must read for people wanting to know about important historical events. Granted, this top 50 may not be your top 50, and thus is subjective. Nevertheless, what was written was easy to read and very informative in a concise manner.

[Trudy Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtlitle says it all. Each chapter is about a different event and it includes illustrations. From Hannibal crossing the Alps to 9/11. I learned something about each event. I read this book periodically - the perfect way to read a book like this. Most of the events center on wars, invasions, and battles. I guess that is when history is made. Not only an interesting book but a good reference book to have on hand. Would be nice to read a similar book on Canadian history.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is able to pull together important details if significant historical events and with storytelling ability draw the reader into that event within 6 pages, eager to read the next segment. My only criticism is poorly constructed sentences along the way that should have had spelling and grammatical errors caught by the editors. Interesting and worth reading; disruptive by easily corrected errors.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the synopsis of each historical account. Ideal for reading during lunchtime, and i loved the artwork in it!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice easy introduction for the history student.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a well written collection of essays of great events in Western History. However it is flawed by some poor research and bad choices.

Cummins claims that Lincoln spent a long time writing the Gettysburg address and that it was well received at the time. I like to know his source for that. All other accounts say that it was greeted by tepid applause. He says that Custer's Last Stand lasted an hour. Sitting Bull said it didn't last long enough to smoke a pipe. Reno and Capt. Benteen estimated the fighting last less than fifteen minutes (they could hear the gunfire coming from Custer's position.) And no, the Germans did not bomb British radar sites during the Battle of Britain. If they had, they might have won.

The choices of covering the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Atomic Bomb as the events of World War II are questionable as Americans know a great deal about of all them. I would have chosen the German overrunning of France and the Lowlands (transform the War into a true World War because it convinced Italy and Japan that the West was weak) The Holocaust (you can't know too much about it) the Battle of Kursk (the true decisive battle of World War Two) and the development of the digital computer.

Finally takes a PC shot at the Catholic Church for its supposed failure to help Jews in World War II.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

218 BC to 2011 AD. Hannibal Crossing the Alps to 9/11. A few dozen greatest hits in between. All awesome to read/revisit. Cummins has zero flair and editorial commentary (except in one bit on the JFK assassination when he notes conspiracy theorists were all about the rejection of random misfortune), but in the space given, he covers about all he can as concisely and effectively as he can. Many events I'd like to delve deeper into: the Battles of Hastings, Gallipoli, the Somme, D-Day, the Six-Day War, the Tet Offensive. Till then, this book has been a great 330 page Cliff Notes. Sadly, in the dozens of History's Greatest Hits covered in this book, only two events don't directly involve death, or threat, or despair - the first Moon Landing and the Fall of the Berlin Wall. The fact these two events have occurred in the most recent 5% of the period of time covered by this book suggests the world may be learning from its history. I hope so.

[Kimberly Hallahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful! By far the most reader-friendly nonfiction history book I have ever read.
I would like to see a Volume Two, consisting of events other than wars and battles, such as the Montgomery bus boycott, the building of the Great Wall of China, the discovery of germ theory, the energy crisis of the 1970's, the development of the polio vaccine, the Iran hostage crisis....I can go on and on.

[Jaye Latts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shared brief segments on various historical topics. Pretty good, could have been a tad longer, but I enjoyed reading this. This type of book could pique the interest to read more in-depth expositions on history. Well-written enough (although a few weird sentences), and with very good images/photos/paintings.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great summary of some of the world's most important events. It is a little more focused on the 20th/21st century, but that is to be expected. Overall, a great summary of a lot of information. I was surprised to know that Lucian, a Roman, wrote a story about colonizing the moon and the section on Hannibal taught me that the elephants he used are now extinct.

[Midnight Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best history book I've ever read! This should be required reading for everyone; there were so many moments in history that I had heard of but knew little about (Hannibal Crossing the Alps, Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, the Battle of the Bulge, the Tet Offensive and so many more).