Stephen Spignesi – författare

Hail to the Chiefs' personality quirks, bizarre behaviors, and other trivialities. From George Washington to Barack Obama, this collection of weird and wild—but true!—facts will show you a whole other side of our nation’s leaders: • Andrew Jackson was married to a bigamist. • Martin Van Buren wore pistols in the Senate chamber in case things got too rowdy. • Franklin Pierce ran over a woman with his horse while in office and was arrested, but was released when the police realized he was the president. • James Garfield could simultaneously write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other. • Dwight D. Eisenhower’s nickname for his staff driver was “Private Parts.” • Barack Obama can bench press 200 pounds.

From George Washington to Barack Obama, this collection of weird and wild—but true!—facts will show you a whole other side of our nation’s leaders:    • Andrew Jackson was married to a bigamist.   • Martin Van Buren wore pistols in the Senate chamber in case things got too rowdy.   • Franklin Pierce ran over a woman with his horse while in office and was arrested, but was released when the police realized he was the president.   • James Garfield could simultaneously write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other.   • Dwight D. Eisenhower’s nickname for his staff driver was “Private Parts.”   • Barack Obama can bench press 200 pounds.

 

From the Trade Paperback edition.

You want a revolution? So did Alexander Hamilton and the Founding Fathers!America has fallen in love again with Alexander Hamilton and the Founding Fathers. Here is a popping fresh collection of facts and forgotten trivia surrounding the American Revolution and our forefathers – from those you’d expect (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and Hamilton, of course) to those you may never have heard of, but you probably should have (who the heck was Rufus King?):Alexander Hamilton was born on foreign soil and became an American hero - the founder of the U.S. Mint and the U.S. Coast Guard. The naval communication book he wrote was still being used by the US Navy and Coast Guard through the Cuban Missile Crisis.Roger Sherman (of Connecticut) was one of only two Founding Fathers who signed the three bulwark documents of our republic: The Declaration of Independence, the Articles of the Confederation, and the Constitution. (Give props to this guy.)By the time he was thirty, George Washington had had smallpox, pleurisy, dysentery, and malaria.Readers will be left with a greater appreciation and deeper respect for these human beings who were just trying to accomplish the incredible: create the greatest nation in history.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Assassinations often change the course of history. Here is an intriguing look at dozens of notable assassinations and attempts throughout history, including complete details about the assassin, the victim, the circumstances of the attack, and the outcome. In the Crosshairs also features photos of many of the victims or would-be victims, and rare archival material, including excerpts from original police reports.High-profile celebrities, political figures, religious leaders, and many others have fallen prey to assassins, and many have survived. In the Crosshairs is arranged in alphabetical order, by last name, and includes such details as:On November 8, 1939, Adolf Hitler narrowly escaped an assassination attempt – 12 minutes after he left a room where he was making a speech, a bomb went off.Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat would probably have survived the assassin’s bullet on October 6, 1981, if he hadn’t taken off his bulletproof vest – but he didn’t like the way it made his suit bulge.Robert John Bardo, the murderer of young actress Rebecca Schaeffer, carried with him to the crime scene a copy of J. D, Sallinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, just like Mark David Chapman did when he murdered John Lennon nearly nine years earlier.From notable murders (Abraham Lincoln, Gianni Versace, and Indira Gandhi) to little-known attempts (George W. Bush, Wild Bill Hickock, and Andy Warhol) here is a surprising, informative, and intriguing book that deserves to be on every history buff’s bookshelf.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

In a mothership full of entertaining and informative chapters, authors Stephen Spignesi and William Birnes, writers of many books dealing with the intriguing, weird, and unexplained, shed a revealing beam of light on the UFO phenomenon. From inexplicable cattle mutilations and modern astronauts who have seen UFOs, to close encounters of the third and fourth kind, and, it’s all here: The latest on Roswell, and the 1947 crash that has never been explainedThe weirdest (and most convincing) alien abductions—and the medical procedures performed on abducteesThe most commonly-seen UFO shapesA who's who of UFOlogy—including presidents that have seen UFOsUFOs and the Bible20 years of Project Blue Book mysteries—NASA’s official UFO investigationWeirdness galore—Men in Black, crop circles, Bigfoot, the face on Mars, Hollow Earth Theory, alien ancestry, and more!The Big Book of UFO Facts, Figures & Truth is at once a valuable reference and an engrossing guide for all those fascinated with unexplained phenomenon. Turning to any page at random, readers are sure to find new facts and information, as well as dozens of rare, irrefutable photos. In addition, readers will learn how they can access a special website which includes actual video evidence of UFOs. This just may be the most comprehensive UFO guide available.

This outrageous collection of inappropriate ads will have you turning the pages and shaking your head in disbelief.Outdated Advertising: Memories from a Less-than-PC Era takes a look at print advertising from the mid-1850s through the 1980s with an eye toward ads that were notorious for their sexist, racist, politically-incorrect, or other wildly inappropriate content—or for just plain bad taste. Among the dozens of full-color examples, readers will find: a woman being spanked by her husband for not buying the right coffeethe story of a mother having to turn her child over to an orphanage because her late husband didn’t keep up his life insurance payments Aunt Jemima declaring “Happy days is here!” because of her new pancake recipedoctors promoting particular brands of cigarettesthe Michael Jackson Rainbow Brite portable record player with the copy line, “Gifts to keep children singing.” Advertising has changed over the decades—that is a major understatement. Despite the nostalgia of such shows as Mad Men, the outrageous images in Outdated Advertising show readers just how far we’ve come since then.

Words equal credibility. The more articulate a person is, the more seriously they will be taken—by everyone. On any given day, you might read “abrogate” used in a USA Today article; or “demagogue” or “fiduciary” used on CNN. You might hear “ensorcelled” and “torpor” in a TV drama; you’ll hear a political candidate described as “truculent.” You may hear “pedantic” used in a movie. How many of these words are part of most college students’ “arsenal of words”? Hopefully all of them, but if not, 499 Words Every College Student Should Know will provide them with what they need to become more articulate in their speaking and writing. It will also enhance their comprehension in their reading, ultimately culminating in what every student aspires to: earning better grades!499 Words Every College Student Should Know teaches truly important vocabulary words and focuses on Professor Spignesi’s classroom-tested Trinity of Vocabulary Use. For each word, the vocabulary-enriched and educated student will be able to: Understand the word in their readingUse the word in their speakingMake good use of the word in their writing Using easy-to-understand, informative, and often humorous explanations of every word, 499 Words Every College Student Should Know also explores how to use the words in sentences, and in proper context. The majority of these words were individually chosen because they are fairly commonplace in media, books, online, and elsewhere, and students need to be able to understand them. Knowing them — in fact, using the words and making them part of their everyday language — will make any college student or those soon-to-be, more credible.

From Abraham Lincoln to Babe Ruth, movies and music to politics and biology, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi compiles five hundred facts in this addictive bathroom reader trivia book. From history and science to sports and literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Spignesi offers eye-opening trivia in 500 facts inspired by the viral social media acronym TIL used on Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and Facebook. #TIL: Today I Learned is sure to intrigue even the most jaded know-it-alls and walking encyclopedias, including little-known anecdotes and stories involving some of history’s most famous people, places, and things, like: Stephen KingDowntown Abbey Elton John World War II Jennifer Aniston John Wayne GacyCall of Duty Salem witch trials Benjamin Franklin “The Star Spangled Banner” Jesus Christ James Bond Alexander Hamilton O.J. SimpsonTitanic George W. Bush KFCLord of the Rings UFO sightings “Bohemian Rhapsody” Donald TrumpStar Trek Stephen Hawking Pocahantas Oprah WinfreyThe Wizard of Oz Genghis Khan Vincent Van GoghAnd many more!