Strausbaugh offers an amusing take on the craziness inside the Soviet Union's famed space program, which was both slapdish and astonishingly successful---when it wasn't accidentally killing people.
A witty, deeply researched history of the surprisingly ramshackle Soviet space program, and how its success was more spin than science.
In the wake of World War II, with America ascendant and the Soviet Union devastated by the conflict, the Space Race should have been over before it started. But the underdog Soviets scored a series of victories--starting with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and continuing in the years following--that seemed to achieve the impossible. It was proof, it seemed, that the USSR had manpower and collective will that went beyond America's material advantages. They had asserted themselves as a…
This is a remarkable book that has stod the test of time. Want to know why our government Washington, DC seems unable to do coherent things? Then read Rauch's book. I interviewed dhim recently, which you can listen to at https://www.understandingcongress.org/podcast/does-congress-still-suffer-from-demosclerosis-with-jonathan-rauch/.
It is no secret that Americans are dissatisfied with government. But while the frustration and anger are real, the way we tend to view the problem is all wrong. Rauch reveals the real problems with government, and offers a bracing tonic for unclogging the public arteries.
Historan Jon Grinspan reminds Americans that crazy politics have long been with us. He writes about the Wide Awakea mid-19th century, mass movement that cropped up very quickly and tread the line between politicking and menacing. You can read my review about it at https://www.aei.org/op-eds/fringe-benefits/
“Excellent."-Wall Street Journal * “A must-read.”-The Civil War Monitor
A propulsive account of our history's most surprising, most consequential political club: the Wide Awake anti-slavery youth movement that marched America from the 1860 election to civil war.
At the start of the 1860 presidential campaign, a handful of fired-up young Northerners appeared as bodyguards to defend anti-slavery stump speakers from frequent attacks. The group called themselves the Wide Awakes. Soon, hundreds of thousands of young White and Black men, and a number of women, were organizing boisterous, uniformed, torch-bearing brigades of their own. These Wide Awakes--mostly working-class Americans in their…
Kevin R. Kosar delivers an informative, concise narrative of the drink's history, from its obscure medieval origins to the globally traded product that it is today. Focusing on three nations--Scotland, Ireland, and America--Kosar charts how the technique of distillation moved from ancient Egypt to the British Isles. Contrary to popular claims, there were no good old days of whiskey: before the twentieth century, consumers could never be sure just what was being poured in their cup--unscrupulous profiteers could distill anything into booze and pawn it off as whiskey. Eventually, government and industry established legal definitions of what whiskey is and how it could be made, allowing for the distinctive styles of whiskey known today. Whiskey explains what whiskey is, how it is made, and how the types of whiskey differ. With a list of suggested brands and classic cocktail recipes for the thirsty reader, this book is perfect for drink and food enthusiasts and history lovers alike.
