Graeme Donald – författare

A complete guide to everyday words with military origins.Did you know they started ''hearing through the grapevine'' during the American Civil War, that ''ghettos'' originated in Venice or that ''deadline'' has a very sinister origin?Jam-packed with many amazing facts, Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis is a fascinating trip through the words and phrases that came to us from the military but nowadays are used by soldier and civilian alike. The sources of many are surprising and their original use is often far removed from that of today.From ''duds'' to ''freelancers'' and ''morris dancing'' to ''bikini'' this enthralling book describes the military origins of words and phrases that we use on a daily basis.

A complete guide to everyday words with military origins.Did you know they started ''hearing through the grapevine'' during the American Civil War, that ''ghettos'' originated in Venice or that ''deadline'' has a very sinister origin?Jam-packed with many amazing facts, Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis is a fascinating trip through the words and phrases that came to us from the military but nowadays are used by soldier and civilian alike. The sources of many are surprising and their original use is often far removed from that of today.From ''duds'' to ''freelancers'' and ''morris dancing'' to ''bikini'' this enthralling book describes the military origins of words and phrases that we use on a daily basis.

Have you ever wondered how the ideas for some things come about? Surprisingly often it is as much down to chance as a single person's brilliance. The Accidental Scientist explores the role of chance and error in scientific, medical and commercial innovation, outlining exactly how some of the most well-known products, gadgets and useful gizmos came to be. From the jacuzzi to jeans and TNT to Tipp-Ex, this book explores many of the discoveries that we are all so familiar with today, yet have the most interesting origins because of the story behind them. Not all discoveries require brilliance, and as The Accidental Scientist demonstrates, sometimes a special ingredient is needed: luck.

The abandoned Mary Celeste is mysteriously found drifting in the mid-Atlantic; Mozart is buried in an unmarked communal grave; and Prohibition in America is brought to an end. Although separated by centuries, these events all share the same anniversary: 5 December. On This Day in History looks back at all 365 days of the year and provides short, riveting entries on the most significant events in history that occurred on that day. One single day could see Alexander the Great cozying up to Winston Churchill and Fidel Castro, or Cleopatra could find herself sharing a page with Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.This book traverses continents and timelines to give its own unique perspective on these historical events. A wide variety of familiar and lesser-known events are represented, providing fascinating facts that are guaranteed both to educate and entertain any history enthusiast.

At home or in the office, the loo is one of those few places where we have space to sit and think. And now you can have your own private lavatory lecturer help you make the most of it. Featuring mind-expanding trivia, extraordinary facts and enlightening stories from history, science, the world of words and much, much more, Learn on the Loo provides the perfect pre-flush entertainment with bite-sized chunks of wisdom that are sure to impress your friends, family and colleagues. So, however long you're usually 'engaged' for, turn those toilet breaks into toilet tutorials and become bog brainy.

From pseudoscience to incorrect assumptions and unfounded belief, science hasn’t always been right…Contrary to recent debate on the internet, nowadays we are fairly confident that the earth is not flat and that we are in fact inhabitants of a spherical planet. However, this was not always the case, with a widespread belief that if you reached the horizon, you would simply fall off into space.Along with assumptions about the health benefits of heroin, the advantages of injecting monkey glands into the human body and bumps on your head being indicators of personality and temperament, science has a colourful past. In this entertaining and informative look at a dubious history, Graeme Donald examines the origins of some of the most extraordinary and mind-boggling scientific theories of the past.

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon’. Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn’t take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly?Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could probably reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up. The Mysteries of History is an entertaining romp through the centuries, uncovering the great mysteries surrounding some of the most inaccurate and misleading parts of our past.

In this quirky and humorous volume, Graeme Donald explores the fascinating links and curious connections between words. While at first these word pairs may appear to have very little in common, owing to years of linguistic shift, their origins can be traced back to the same root. In exploring these etymological twins, Words of a Feather reveals the oddities of the English language and the fascinating stories that have made our vocabulary so rich. The perfect gift for language lovers and history buffs alike, this beautiful book contains over 200 word pairs with a common ancestry.

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.' Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn't take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly? Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up.

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.' Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn't take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly? Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up.

Perfect for anyone with an interest in our scientific history, When the Earth Was Flat exposes the scientific theories that were once widely believed to be true but have since been disproved. Featuring ideas that now seem more crazy than credible, from the human body being made up of only four humours - black and yellow bile, blood and phlegm - to the discovery of the so-called 'missing link' in the evolutionary chain. When the Earth Was Flat tells the fascinating story behind those scientific theories we once believed to be true, and shows how the way we view the world, and the way we think the world works, has changed completely throughout history.

A unique look at the military misconceptions that we take for granted, and a revelation of the truth behind the lies.Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way'' and who would go to war over a game of football, a pig, or an old bucket?Oppenheimer fluffed his lines after the first atomic test; virtually every well-known quote attributed the Duke of Wellington is wrong; Churchill had a BBC voice impersonator record all his famous WW2 speeches as he was invariably too busy or too ''tired and emotional'' to do it himself and no-one at the time called WW1 ''The War to end all Wars''.Will you believe the truth?

A unique look at the military misconceptions that we take for granted, and a revelation of the truth behind the lies.Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way'' and who would go to war over a game of football, a pig, or an old bucket?Oppenheimer fluffed his lines after the first atomic test; virtually every well-known quote attributed the Duke of Wellington is wrong; Churchill had a BBC voice impersonator record all his famous WW2 speeches as he was invariably too busy or too ''tired and emotional'' to do it himself and no-one at the time called WW1 ''The War to end all Wars''.Will you believe the truth?

¿Envenenó Salieri a Mozart?¿Fue Elizabeth Báthory la verdadera condesa Drácula?¿Hay algo de verdad en la leyenda negra de la Inquisición española?Como dijo una vez Napoleón: "La historia es una versión de acontecimientos pasados sobre los que la gente ha decidido ponerse de acuerdo".Anotada en documentos históricos, copiada y ampliamente repetida, no se tarda mucho tiempo en conseguir que una versión de la verdad se acepte como un hecho. Pero ¿quién inventa estas falsedades y por qué ganan terreno tan rápido? Lejos de referirse a las partes oscuras e insignificantes de nuestra historia, estas inexactitudes y mentiras absolutas tiñen la descripción de muchos personajes históricos y de los sucesos cruciales que aprendimos en la escuela. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, el capitán Cook, Juana de Arco… la mayoría de nosotros probablemente podríamos contar un hecho o dos sobre cada uno de ellos. Pero, como revela este intrigante libro, un examen más detallado de nuestra historia social y política nos muestra que, a menudo, no todo era lo que parecía, y que los planes de los responsables de registrar estos sucesos influían en lo que se informaba y en lo que se escondía.Enigmas de la historia es un recorrido entretenido a través de los siglos, que separa los mitos de los hechos y revela los grandes misterios que rodean algunas de las partes más inexactas y engañosas de nuestro pasado.

Todos los trozos de ciencia que creíamos erróneamente El autor de Cuando la tierra era plana lleva a cabo una exploración entretenida y, a la vez, autorizada de coloridas teorías científicas que alguna vez se creyeron ciertas, pero que hace tiempo fueron refutadas. El lector descubrirá, entre otras muchas cosas, por qué la reina Victoria ingería una tintura de opio por consejo de su médico, cómo la reticencia a aceptar la idea de la teoría de los gérmenes condujo al asesinato, y por qué los católicos inventaron el mito de que las tribus de América del Sur practicaban el canibalismo. Este fascinante libro recoge ideas que ahora parecen más descabelladas que creíbles: la de que el cuerpo humano se compone sólo de cuatro humores (la bilis negra y amarilla, la sangre y la flema) hasta la del descubrimiento del llamado «eslabón perdido» de la cadena evolutiva. Cuando la Tierra era plana cuenta las intrigantes historias que subyacen en esas teorías científicas que una vez creímos ciertas, y muestra cómo la forma de ver el mundo y la manera en que pensamos que éste funciona ha cambiado completamente a lo largo de la historia.

ALIMENTACIÓN • INTROSPECCIÓN • RECETAS • EJERCICIOS • PRÁCTICAS ENERGÉTICASVeintiún días para tomar las riendas de tu salud, recuperar la vitalidad y crear nuevas rutinas adecuadas a tu cuerpo y tu mente: es lo que te propone este libro, que te acompañará paso a paso en esta beneficiosa búsqueda. Este programa es un viaje hacia una mayor claridad mental y una salud radiante. Se ha diseñado para apoyar la capacidad natural del cuerpo de curarse a sí mismo y para revitalizar el cuerpo y la mente, adoptando nuevos hábitos de vida sanos y equilibrados. En esta obra, gracias a los principios y las prácticas holísticas, encontrarás consejos sobre la alimentación y el modo de vida, podrás poner en marcha el programa con recetas adecuadas, harás esfuerzos con ejercicios diarios y efectuarás prácticas energéticas para ser plenamente consciente de ti mismo.

ALIMENTACIÓN • INTROSPECCIÓN • RECETAS • EJERCICIOS • PRÁCTICAS ENERGÉTICASVeintiún días para tomar las riendas de tu salud, recuperar la vitalidad y crear nuevas rutinas adecuadas a tu cuerpo y tu mente: es lo que te propone este libro, que te acompañará paso a paso en esta beneficiosa búsqueda. Este programa es un viaje hacia una mayor claridad mental y una salud radiante. Se ha diseñado para apoyar la capacidad natural del cuerpo de curarse a sí mismo y para revitalizar el cuerpo y la mente, adoptando nuevos hábitos de vida sanos y equilibrados. En esta obra, gracias a los principios y las prácticas holísticas, encontrarás consejos sobre la alimentación y el modo de vida, podrás poner en marcha el programa con recetas adecuadas, harás esfuerzos con ejercicios diarios y efectuarás prácticas energéticas para ser plenamente consciente de ti mismo.