Greatest Stories Never Told,230 Tales from History to Astonish, Bewildernd Stupefy, 2008 publication

by Rick Byr

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 Some Roman officials were so corrupt that they actually stole time itself
Three cigars changed the course of the Civil War The Scottish kilt was invented by an Englishman Based on the popular Timelab 2000(R) history minutes hosted by Sam Waterston on The History Channel(R), 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

356 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Reader's Digest. I would change the title to Strange Stories Seldom Told because I already knew many of them. I was often surprised, but I was never astonished, bewildered, or stupefied. My favorite part was the drawings and photos throughout. I didn't like how the stories skipped around in time. I was most surprised by the very abrupt ending.