Showing results by narrator "J. A. Smith" in All Categories

James K. Polk, the 11th president of the United States, played a pivotal role in shaping the nation. Many presidents might be given such a description, but for James Polk, it was more or less a case of manifest destiny. It was Polk who led the charge to expand the United States from sea to shining sea. Under his watch, both the northwestern border with Canada as well as the southwestern border with Mexico were put in place.

The October Revolution of 1917, which saw the fall of the tsar and the installation of a provisional government in Russia, was a momentous event in modern history. However, the Russian Revolution was far from the end of the story of the establishment of Communism in Russia. Within months, the Red Bolsheviks were under attack by the reactionary Whites. The civil war raged for more than two years, leaving millions dead and many millions more displaced. Although less well-known than the revolution, the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922 did far more to shape the modern world.

Freddie Mercury was the ultimate rock star. With a natural sense of timing and exuberance - some would say even flamboyance - Mercury seemed to be made for the stage. Still, it took a lot of hard work for him to get there. This book details Freddie Mercury’s rise to stardom - from his youth in Zanzibar and his arrival in England to his first forays with rock music and the ultimate formation of Queen.

This audiobook contains three major works on Marxism: The Communist Manifesto, Wage-Labour and Capital, and Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Discover the remarkable life of Joachim von Ribbentrop...

When the establishment of the State of Israel was announced on May 14, 1948, it seemed to many people that the new nation could not survive for long. The haste with which it was created meant that Israel lacked the infrastructure of government, and its armed forces consisted of little more than a handful of lightly armed former guerilla fighters. Ranged against it were some of the most powerful nations in the Arab world, including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria.

Kofi Annan stands out as one of the most pivotal figures of the early twenty-first century. As the secretary-general of the United Nations, he became an enduring icon and a voice for peace and freedom all over the world.

On September 11, 2001, the United States faced the most devastating terrorist attack in world history when members of al-Qaeda, an Islamist fundamentalist movement, hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed them into buildings in New York and Washington, DC. Nearly 3,000 people died in these attacks, and one month later, US President George W. Bush announced the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, a military operation intended to remove the Taliban in Afghanistan and ensure that terrorists from al-Qaeda had no safe haven in that country.

The audiobook covers the first stages of the war, from 1927-1937, the interlude from 1938-1945 during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, and the final and most well-known phase of the war from 1946-1949. Learn about the causes, events, and lasting effects of the Chinese Civil War and about the warfare tactics and political strategy of the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Kuomintang during these integral years. This is the story about how a group of young, inexperienced Chinese revolutionaries changed the destiny of China.

For many, she was simply the last of King Henry VIII’s many wives, but Catherine Parr was much more than that. She had a unique and incredible history all of her own. Catherine was a dynamic figure who survived more than her fair share of hardship. Even before she married Henry, she found herself caught up in the drama of England’s Reformation, and at one point, she was even held hostage in her own home by religious radicals.

Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. His works mainly revolved around the themes of society and class, materialism, and romantic idealism. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Beautiful and The Damned, and This Side of Paradise are critically acclaimed writings of Fitzgerald that are still very relevant and popular today.

Almost half a millennium later, in 224 CE, a new Persian dynasty, the House of Sasan, challenged the waning power of the Parthian Empire, restoring the Persians to dominance. Emperors in the ancient world lived an exalted but often precarious existence, and this was true for the monarchs, or shahs, as they were known, of the Sasanian Empire. Some of the Sasanian shahs were mighty leaders, adept in battle and in governance, but that was no protection against the threat of assassination.

The Irish War of Independence, which ended in July 1921, led directly to the agreement of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, an agreement that provided Ireland with a measure of independence. The Irish Free State was created, and Ireland was granted a level of autonomy it had not enjoyed for more than 100 years. However, the treaty contained a clause that was to divide Ireland, literally and politically.

Whether advocating for the peaceful use of nuclear energy or mentoring the next generation of scientists, Bohr’s influence extended far beyond his laboratory. Here in this book, we explore both his life and his life’s work in full.

In 1973, Israel would face the greatest challenge to its very existence. Egypt and Syria launched massive simultaneous invasions intended to recapture territory occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War. Israel was taken completely by surprise by this attack, launched on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur. Israeli intelligence, which had proved so effective in previous conflicts, failed to provide any warning, and the armed forces of Israel were completely unprepared to face this onslaught on two fronts. This is the story of the Yom Kippur War.

The Renaissance, or rebirth, was a period of time when Europeans began to question what they had been told was sacrosanct. Through art, inventions, science, literature, and theology, the separate nations of the European continent sought answers that the Roman Catholic Church was unwilling, or perhaps unable, to offer. It was a triumph of the human spirit and a confirmation of human ability, even as it affirmed the willingness of men and women to die for the right to think freely.

The Great Famine which afflicted Ireland from 1845 to 1849 was one of the most catastrophic events in Europe during the 19th century. More than one-quarter of the population of Ireland died of starvation or associated disease, or were forced to emigrate...The Great Famine left a legacy of distrust and animosity between large segments of the population of Ireland and Great Britain, and this in part led to the movements which finally produced Irish independence.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, and no one could quite make us laugh like Robin Williams. His meteoric rise to fame was fueled by an irrepressible sense of humor and dazzling improvisational skills. From the extraterrestrial Mork to the inspiring John Keating in Dead Poets Society and the endearing Genie in Aladdin, Williams’ performances captured the hearts of millions.

Michael Kingman thought he was going to die by the executioner’s axe, forever labeled as a traitor. Still alive, and under the protection of the Orbis Mercenary company, Michael and his family and friends are deeply involved in the seemingly rival conspiracies that are tearing The Hollows apart. With the death of the King, both the Corrupt Prince and his sister Serena are vying for the throne, while the Rebel Emperor is spreading lies amongst the people, and all of them want Michael dead.

After the shock and devastation of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans were determined to take their revenge on the Empire of Japan. The Japanese were just as determined to become the dominant power in the Pacific, a goal they were well on their way to achieving as they occupied China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaya, Burma, Northern Borneo, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines.