by History 500 | May 22, 2018 | Welcome
Dien Bien Phu - The End of France in Southeast Asia
T
he great Siege of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 sealed the end for France in Southeast Asia. Bernard Fall's, "Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu", is a vivid, informative, fascinating account of the violent clash between 2 great cultures that laid out the course of the Vietnam War.
Top Recommendation for May
Hell in a Very Small Place: The Seige of Dien Bien Phu:
by Bernard Fall (1966 - 528 pp)
Mesmerizing account of France's stunning 1954 final defeat by Gen Giap and the Viet-Minh at Dien Bien Phu and the loss of "The Jewel of Asia". Great maps.
by History 500 | Apr 29, 2018 | Welcome
The Great Siege of Gibraltar - American Revolution at Risk
The best known sieges of the American Revolution were Boston, Yorktown, Charleston. 
But, the great Siege of Gibraltar 1778-1783, after France and Spain declared war on England, tied down British forces for years. Roy and Leslie Adkins' "Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History" is a vivid, informative, fascinating account of the violent clash between 3 great nations that directly impacted the outcome of the American Revolution.
Top Recommendation for March
Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History, Roy and Leslie Adkins (2018 - 480 pp)
A page turner that vividly recounts the titanic, but little known, behind-the-scenes struggle between England, France and Spain that so dramatically influenced world events during the American Revolution
by History 500 | Mar 27, 2018 | Welcome
The Burma Road - China's Lifeline to the Outside World
By 1942, the Japanese had swept across China, closing its ports, and finally invaded Burma 
severing China's last lifeline to the outside world. Donavan Webster's "The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in WW II" introduces the fascinating cast of Merrill's Marauders, Chennault's Flying Tiger's, Wingate's Chindits and the charismatic Joseph Stilwell. A sweeping tale of jungle warfare and survival against, mud, leeches and tropical heat.
Top Recommendation for March
The Burma Road, by Donovan Webster (2004 - 400pp)
Terrific history of the the conflict in Burma, the building of the Burma Road to supply China, its eventual loss to the Japanese and final heroic recapture.
by History 500 | Feb 27, 2018 | Welcome
The Franco - Prussian War of 1870 - Sowing the Seeds for WW I
February 1870, marked the conclusion of the Franco - Prussian War that changed 
the balance of power in Europe for generations. With Paris starving, the French had no choice but an ignominious surrender. Geoffrey Wawro's "The Franco-Prussian War: The German Conquest of France in 1870" details the many famous battles and ill-fated reparations levied on France that paved the way for WW I and the future cataclysm of the 20th Century.
Top Recommendation for February
The Franco - Prussian War: The German Conquest of France in 1870,
by Geoffry Wawro (2005 - 346pp)
The earth shattering event that unified Germany, impoverished France and sowed the seeds for World War II and the ill-conceived Treaty of Versailles in 1919
by History 500 | Jan 25, 2018 | Welcome
The Dreyfus Affair - The Scandal that Rocked France
In January of 1898, French literary titan, Emile Zola, published one of the most inflammatory 
news headlines in world history with "J'Accuse", attacking the French military's notorious conviction of innocent Jewish Major, Alfred Dreyfus, for espionage. Piers Read's "The Dreyfus Affair:The Scandal that Tore France in Two", is a riveting look at a highly anti-semitic France whose military was severely impacted on the eve of looming WW I. A great espionage thriller
Top Recommendation for January
The Dreyfus Affair,: The Scandal that Tore France in Two by Piers Read,
(2012 - 432 pp)
Fascinating history of the notorious scandal that rocked France in the 1890's, exposing virulent anti-semitic sentiment in France and the deep tensions with Germany on the eve of WW I.
by History 500 | Dec 6, 2017 | Welcome
Catastrophe in Halifax - 100th Anniversary of the The World's Greatest Maritime Disaster
Today, December 6th, 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the catastrophic explosion 
in Halifax of the French munitions ship Mont Blanc. Thousands died in an instant and a harsh winter killed thousands more. The people of Boston rallied to their aid and to this day, Halifax sends Boston its Christmas tree. Laura M. MacDonald's, "Curse of the Narrows", paints a vivid picture of the utter devastation and frantic efforts to save survivors from raging fires and a bitterly cold winter.
Top Recommendation for December
Curse of the Narrows, by Laura MacDonald (2006 - 372pp)
Highly compelling tale of the Halifax disaster, the largest man made explosion before the atomic bomb, caused by an exploding ammunition ship.
by History 500 | Nov 15, 2017 | Welcome
The Great Influenza - The Deadliest Pandemic in World History
The Great Influenza of 1918 spread rapidly around the world in 1918 by troops in WW I, and 
killed 30 to 50 million making it the worlds greatest natural disaster. John Barry's superb "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in World History" paints a vivid picture of its horrific impact and frantic efforts of governments around the world to develop necessary vaccines and medical responses.
Top Recommendation for November
The Great Influenza, by John Barry (2005- 546 pp)
The Great Influenza of 1918 killed 30-50 million (3% of the world's population), mostly young adults, making it the deadliest natural disaster in human history.
by History 500 | Sep 6, 2017 | Welcome
Rising Tide - The Great Mississippi Floods of 1927
2017's widespread flooding in Texas has happened in the U.S. before...only far worse, 
most notably during the great Mississippi floods of 1927. John Barry's superb "Rising Tide" paints a vivid picture of the economic, political, social and engineering issues of the 1920's that were in play and led to the displacement of over 1 million, greatly exacerbating the Depression for the nation as a whole and effecting flood control for a century to come.
Top Recommendation for September
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, by John Barry (1998 - 528 pp)
Fascinating, nearly forgotten account of how the great rains and flood of 1927 left 1 million homeless and displaced southern Delta populations North.
by History 500 | Aug 19, 2017 | Welcome
The Assault that Helped Ignite the Civil War
On May 22, 1856 ardent pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks of SC savagely attacked and critically injured anti-slavery Senator 
Charles Sumner on the floor of the U.S. Senate with a gold tipped walking stick. Stephen Puleo's "The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War", paints a vivid picture of the vitriolic climate of the times and chronicles the major events of the decade leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.
Top Recommendation for May
The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War, by Stephen Puleo
(2012, Oct - 374pp)
Superb, easy-to-read, highly informative narrative that explains and links the key events in the years prior to the final outbreak of the Civil War at Ft. Sumter
by History 500 | Jun 28, 2017 | Welcome
The Climactic Carrier Battle of WWII in the Pacific
On June 20, 1944, the U.S. Navy took on the the Japanese in the final carrier battle of WW II. 
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a disaster for the Japanese who lost 3 aircraft carriers and 637 aircraft. Barrett Tillman's "The Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot", vividly portrays this stunning victory of the newly mighty U.S. fleet.
Top Recommendation for June
Clash of the Carriers, by Barrett Tillman (2006 - 368pp)
Stirring account of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, a knock-out blow for Japan's navy air which lost 3 carriers, 600 planes and hundreds of pilots.
