Unsolved Mysteries of American History: An Eye-Opening Journey through 500 Years of Discoveries, Disappearances, and Baffling Events - Hardcover

Aron, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471153699 ISBN 13: 9780471153696

Publisher: Wiley, 1997

Synopsis

"A lively tour through our past and an ingenious primer in the art of historical detection." --Robert A. Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World

Did Leif Ericsson beat Columbus to America? What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? Did Pocahontas really save John Smith? Did Davy Crockett die at the Alamo? What really happened to Amelia Earhart, and was she a spy? Who killed JFK?

Unsolved Mysteries of American History re-creates the most mystifying events of our past, following some of our greatest historians as they search for the elusive answers. Spanning more than five centuries--from Leif Ericsson and Columbus through Watergate and Iran-Contra--Aron makes sense of all the latest discoveries and speculations. Here is everything you could ever want from a detective story: dramatic twists and turns, intellectual challenges, frustrating dead-ends, murderous mayhem, and thrilling espionage.

"Stimulating and pleasurable, fair and objective . . . recommended for both the history buff and the fan of true-life mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews

"Everyone loves a mystery and a history mystery best of all. Aron has assembled an impressive array of 'whodunits.'" --Ivor Noel Hume, former director, Department of Archaeology, Colonial Williamsburg author of The Virginia Adventure

"A welcome gateway for historical exploration." --Booklist

"Aron performs something of a minor miracle: He zeroes in on the very core of historical mysteries and provides new insights for reconsidering mystifying events." --Allan W. Eckert, author of Sorrow in Our Heart

About this title

Review:

In a collection of 30 articles, Unsolved Mysteries of American History takes some of the most notable quandaries of the American past and tries to offer some solid answers, or at least alternate explanations. Paul Aron takes on the serious ("Why did Truman drop the bomb?") as well as the frivolous ("Did Babe Ruth call his shot?"). The book is written to entertain, but Aron provides a bibliography for further reading at the end of each essay, and steers readers to heavier tomes if they wish to dig deeper into the various subjects.

From the Publisher:

The mysteries of American history that have intrigued and sometimes baffled historians are the stories discussed in this book. Written in a lighthearted style, the author examines and explains each mystery and offers the common solutions that have been give through the years. What Possessed the Girls of Salem?; Did Pocohontas really save John Smith?; Who killed JFK?; Were the Rosenbergs guilty? These are the greatest mysteries of our history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0471153699
• ISBN 13: 9780471153696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240