Rick Beyer Livres

The book offers an entertaining collection of unusual and surprising anecdotes from presidential history, showcasing lesser-known facts that are both astonishing and bewildering. Readers will discover quirky stories, such as Abraham Lincoln's duel, Jimmy Carter's UFO sighting, and a president's daily skinny-dipping ritual in the Potomac. This compilation from The History Channel® promises to enlighten and amuse those interested in the eccentricities of America's leaders.

100 tales of invention and discovery to astonish, bewilder, & stupefy •Meet the angry undertaker who gave us the push-button phone. •Discover how modesty led to the •Find out why Albert Einstein patented a refrigerator. •Learn how a train full of trumpeters made science history. Did you know about: •The frustrated fashion designer who created the space suit? •The gun-toting newspaperman who invented the parking meter? •The midnight dreams that led to a Nobel Prize?

Quirky characters and surprising true stories abound in military history, showcasing unexpected events and individuals. From a topless dancer who played a pivotal role in the Byzantine Empire's survival to a World War I battle paused for a soccer match, the narrative reveals the unusual intersections of war and everyday life. It also highlights a scientist's invention of a pigeon-guided missile and an elderly pig's death that sparked an international crisis between the U.S. and Great Britain, illustrating the bizarre and often overlooked aspects of conflict.

Did you know about: The ballet that sparked a riot? The rock star who became an astrophysicist? The song that saved Wheaties? The man killed by his own conducting? The controversy behind "Mary Had a Little Lamb"? Prepare to be astonished, bewildered, and stupefied by the tantalizing tidbits of music history collected here: amazing stories about jazz, classical, country, rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, show tunes, composers, band names, song lyrics, instruments, technology, controversies, and more. Learn how the FBI spent years trying to decode the lyrics of one rock song. Discover how Watergate provided the inspiration for A Chorus Line. Find out how one megahit was born in a history class, while another was dashed off in a fit of anger at actor Robert De Niro. Meet the monk behind solfÈge, the aviation pioneer who created Muzak, and the prisoner who literally sang himself out of jail. Then there's the most important person in rock 'n' roll history—chances are you've never heard of him! Continuing the successful Greatest Stories Never Told series, Rick Beyer has delivered another classic volume for history and music buffs alike.