Showing results by author "History by the Hour" in All Categories

Albert Einstein was an outstanding physician and mathematician of the 20th century. He was a pure genius who created a formula that would build a bomb capable of killing thousands at a time. Albert learned to play the violin. He could play a few notes on the piano or the violin, and then he would jot down notes on some theory. Einstein won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.

Probably the most naturally gifted musician the world has ever known, Mozart began his career early as a child prodigy. By the age five, he was already proficient on the violin, the harpsichord, and piano keyboard, and had begun composing music that had integrity. He was a showman as well, according to contemporary documents, and charmed many of the crowned heads of Europe with his performance and his manner.

Ludwig van Beethoven, a genius composer, one of the most recognized and influential of all composers. Ludwig van Beethoven is a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Classical music. Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe.

It goes without saying that Eleanor of Aquitaine was a force of nature. She was the wife of kings, the mother of kings, a duchess in her own right, and a tool of no man. She was headstrong and independent in an age when women were essentially to be seen and not heard.

There is a lot more to the story than just the light bulb, and there is a lot more to the invention of the light bulb than just Thomas Edison. One thing is for sure - he is still remembered as one of the greatest inventors of all time and perhaps the greatest that America has ever produced. In truth, Edison was a man who invented a lot of things while bringing about incredible advancements in many other things. With the stock ticker, the telegraph, the light bulb, and the motion picture, he may not have invented them, but he improved on them beyond any recognition.

Initially presiding over an oligarchic one-party regime that governed by plurality, Joseph Stalin became the de facto dictator of the Soviet Union. Stalin raised funds for Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction via robberies, kidnappings, and protection rackets. To eradicate those regarded as "enemies of the working class", Stalin instituted the "Great Purge" in which more than a million were imprisoned and at least 700,000 were executed from 1934 to 1939.

Adolf Hitler was a German politician, demagogue, and Pan-German revolutionary who was the leader of the Nazi Party, chancellor of Germany, and führer ("leader") of Nazi Germany. As dictator, Hitler initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland and was central to the Holocaust.

Get only the pertinent details of the Roman Empire’s existence. The Roman Empire is factual, concise, informative, and entertaining.

In World War II: A Concise Guide from Beginning to End, you’ll discover the reasons for the war’s launch and gain appreciation for the sacrifices made to bring it to a close.