by History 500 | Aug 30, 2022 | Welcome
Nimitz at War - America's Indispensable Admiral
Chester Nimitz was one of the great American heroes of World War II. Always calm and clear-headed, he led with quiet confidence. In "Nimitz at War, Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo," acclaimed naval historian Craig Symonds, draws a portrait of Nimitz from his early days behind a desk in Washington to the moment he took command of the U.S. Pacific fleet and led it to ultimate victory
Top Recommendation for August
Nimitz at War, Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo, by Craig Symonds (2022 - 466 pp)
Chester Nimitz was the great American Admiral that guided the U.S. Pacific Fleet to victory during WW II. His quiet leadership style inspired all around him and led to many of America's victories. From the Battle of Midway to Guadalcanal and other victories across the Pacific, Nimitz was unflappable and earned the respect of all.
by History 500 | Jun 26, 2022 | Welcome
Freezing Order - Global Money Laundering in Putin's Russia
American hedge fund manager, Bill Browder, had the inside track on Putin's financial empire. From money laundering to massive private yachts owned by Putin's Oligarchs, Browder uncovers the flow of money worldwide and exposes Putin's private world. In Freezing Order,: A true Story of Money Laundering and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath, Browder exposes how wealth was accumulated by those few lucky enough to be on the inside with Putin and those unlucky enough to incur his wrath.
Top Recommendation for June
Freezing Order: A True Story of Murder, Money Laundering and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath, by Bill Browder (2022 - 336 pp)
A fascinating work by someone who understands the workings of the Russian economy. Browder exposes how far corrupt Russian officials and business people will go to defend their ill-gotten wealth, and how foreign lawyers, lobbyists and public relations firms enable them. He highlights the urgency of addressing the global plague of money laundering.
by History 500 | May 20, 2022 | Welcome
Red Notice - Murder and Intrigue in Putin's Russia
In 2005, American hedge fund manager, Bill Browder,was Russia's largest foreign investor. His lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, was murdered for exposing a $230 million fraud committed by Russian government officials. Browder's "Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice", unveils the mafia-like nature of Putin's Russia in all its breathtaking scope and horror. Along the way, Browder has become a human rights crusader and earned the undying hatred of Putin and the Oligarchs.
Top Recommendation for May
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice, by Bill Browder (2015 - 419 pp)
From the opening scenes of the murder of Bill Browder's lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, Red Notice reads like a spy thriller, but it's all true, important and a reflection of the way business is conducted in Russia and abroad. A fascinating, heart stopping account of how to take on Vladimir Putin.
by History 500 | Apr 22, 2022 | Welcome
Quagmire in the Making - A Young Nation Flexes its Muscle
The Spanish-American War is forgotten history in the US and so is America's sorry tale of its first foray into nation building. Greg Jones's "Honor in the Dust - War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream" captures the jingoistic spirit of the times and tells the story of the American conquest and occupation of the Philippines, a venture that become mired in politics back home and an eventual quagmire with the abandonment of many American ideals.
Top Recommendation for April
Honor in the Dust, by Greg Jones, (2012- 448 pp)
Little known account of the abysmal US - Philippine relations after the Spanish-American War in 1898, US military occupation, brutal repression, and fierce Philippine resistance. This should have given some insights into how the US should have handled Vietnam.
by History 500 | Mar 22, 2022 | Welcome
Winston Churchill - Always Irascible, Ever Thoughtful
We all know Winston Churchill as the consummate statesman, but few knew him better as a considerate, loving employer that the many women who worked for him and cherished all of his foibles. In "Working with Winston - The Unsung Women Behind Britain's Greatest Statesman", author Cita Stilzer compiles the recollections of the many women under his employ during the tumultuous War years and beyond. All were highly qualified and withstood the intense pressures at 10 Downing. Above all we see Winston as a kind, thoughtful benevolent employer who earned the undying respect and admiration of all.
Top Recommendation for March
Working With Winston - The Unsung Women Behind Britain's Greatest Statesman, Cita Stelzer ( 2021 - 393 pp)
A loving portrait of Winston Churchill as statesman told by the many young women who worked for him. Churchill was more that just a great statesman with a wide range of hobbies that involved all of his assistants. A portrait of Winston as both a demanding employer...and considerate father figure to all.
by History 500 | Dec 31, 2021 | Welcome
Typhoon Cobra and the near destruction of the U.S. 3rd Fleet
In December of 1944, Adm "Bull Halsey" is America's most colorful, 'fighting' Admiral. His successes are legendary, but so are some of his greatest errors. Bob Drury and Tom Clavin tell the gut-wrenching story of "Halsey's Typhoon: An Epic Storm and an Untold Rescue". Halsey tried to refuel his fleet of including his destroyers and sadly lost 3 of them. 800 sailors drowned as a result, more than in any other Naval combat at sea.
Top Recommendation for December
Halsey's Typhoon, by Bob Drury & Tom Clavin (2007 - 352pp)
Tragedy of the monster typhoon that sank 3 U.S. Navy destroyers, drowning 800 sailors of Halsey's 3rd fleet during a risky at-sea underway refueling operation.
by History 500 | Dec 1, 2021 | Welcome
The Invention of Nitrogen - The Revolution that Fed the World
In 1905, two German chemists, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch, created the process for manufacturing nitrogen, which is commonly used in agriculture today. They revolutionized life on earth and fed the planet. Nitrogen is also used to produce explosives. Thomas Hager's sensational "The Alchemy of Air: The Scientific Discovery that Fed the World, but fueled the Rise of Hitler", tells how they won the Nobel Prize, but brought down the Third Reich.
Top Recommendation for November
The Alchemy of Air: The Scientific Discovery that Fed the World, but Fueled the Rise of Hitler, Thomas Hager (Sept, 2021 - 368pp)
Today the world's agriculture runs on nitrogen. But, in 1905, it was not so easy to come by. German chemist Fritz Haber invented the process for creating it, and Carl Bosch created the manufacturing process. Nitrogen is also used in the production of explosives and by World War II, Germany had created a 3 square mile production facility with 35,000 workers - a key target of Allied bombing.
by History 500 | Oct 23, 2021 | Welcome
Electric City - Henry Ford and Thomas Edison at Muscle Shoals, Al
Henry Ford was at the top of his game when he decided to build an electric generating complex at Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee River in Alabama. Along with his mentor, the great Thomas Edison, he used all his political might to pursue this dream.Thomas Hager's "Electric City: the Lost History of Ford and Edison's American Utopia" provides a fascinating glimpse into the grand thinking and backgrounds of these two heroes of the age. Ford's proposal to build a hydro-electric generating station was rejected by congress and he withdrew his bid.
Top Recommendation for October
Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison's American Utopia, Thomas, Hager (May, 2021 - 262pp)
A terrific history of the 1920'a and the Tennessee River Valley area. Ford and Edison had joined forces to build a modern utopia at Muscle Shoals along the Tennessee and created the historic town of Florence, Alabama. Power politics ultimately sank the deal, but it is a fascinating story about money, power and a great social engineering experiment.
by History 500 | Oct 4, 2021 | Welcome
WW I in Flanders - A portent of the Great War to Come
Flanders was the most dreaded place to be in all of the First World War, probably of any war in history. The Great Powers used all of the advances in technology to inflict horrors on each other. One of our favorite authors, Winston Groom, in "A Storm in Flanders: The Ypres Salient " tells of those who fought and the 1 million who died in this climactic struggle. The Ypres Salient, Passchendaele, the Christmas Truce of 1914 are all the stuff of legend and the mosaic of great armies locked in deadly combat
Top Recommendation for September
A Storm in Flanders, by Winston Groom (2003 - 288pp)
Superb narrative writing by a top historian about the initial German invasion of Belgium, fighting in the Ypres salient ovver 4 years, infamous Passchendaele.and Christmas Truce of 1914
by History 500 | Jul 18, 2021 | Welcome
Twilight of the Gods - Final Days of World War II - Pacific
Ian Toll's 3rd book of his masterful trilogy on World War II - Pacific. No author has compiled a history on World War II - Pacific to equal the breadth and depth of this momentous and varied conflict. Ian Toll's "Twilight of the Gods: War in the Pacific 1944-1945" provides the high drama of the Burma campaign, Battle of Leyte Gulf, Okinawa, plans for the invasion of Japan, the Russian invasion of Manchuria so long ago and so forgotten, and the final battle of the War - Houtou, Manchuria.
Top Recommendation for July
Twilight of the Gods- War in the Wester Pacific 1944 - 1945, by Ian W Toll
This spectacular book (the 3rd in Toll's great trilogy) reads like a novel and provides an accurate account of the last days of the War in the Pacific and Japan's final capitulation under great duress. Great detail on the battle of Leyte Gulf including the fateful decisions of Ozawa and Halsey...and terrific accounts of the bombing of Japan, the Russian invasion of Manchuria and Japan's final surrender.
