Showing results by narrator "Matthew J Chandler-Smith" in All Categories

The Comanche were once the most dominant Native American tribe in the Great Plains of North America. From their homelands on the prairies, they ranged across the American West and South into Mexico. They were also one of the most feared of all Native American people, fighting virtually every other Native American tribe they had contact with and waging successful guerilla wars against invaders from Spain, Mexico, and the Eastern United States.

Wernher von Braun was a rare and complex figure. He went on to become one of the most prominent figures not just in one country but in two. Although the first half of his life and his contributions to Nazi Germany remain extremely controversial, it can’t be denied that he was a pioneer. He oversaw the development of the first long-range guided ballistic missile, the V-2, which became a terrifying weapon in Nazi Germany’s arsenal. After the war, von Braun and many of his colleagues were brought to the United States as part of Operation Paperclip.

Tina Turner had a powerful voice, but perhaps more importantly, she led a powerful life. Born into challenging circumstances, her early years in rural Tennessee were marked by adversity and struggle. Tina would soon prove that she could rise above it all, even though her path to stardom was far from straightforward. Her tumultuous and often violent relationship with Ike Turner became a highly publicized chapter in her life, yet she refused to be defined solely by her trials and tribulations.

Much of the history of Ireland is defined by the basic facts of its location as an island perched on the very western edge of Europe. Events that had a profound impact on other parts of Europe—the rise of the Roman Empire, the diaspora of Celtic people, and the settlement of Anglo-Saxons in Britain—either had relatively little impact in Ireland or happened much later than in other parts of Europe.

In 1937, passengers could cross the Atlantic in unprecedented luxury aboard the world’s most advanced aircraft. The Hindenburg was a marvel that defied belief. Stretching over 800 feet (245 meters)—longer than three jumbo jets placed end to end—this colossal airship represented the pinnacle of 1930s technology. Thirteen stories tall and powered by engines that propelled it at nearly 80 mph (125 km/h), it could ferry passengers between Europe and the Americas in half the time of the fastest ocean liner.

Annie Oakley was a remarkable sharpshooter whose legendary accuracy with firearms captivated audiences across the world. She could place bullets precisely where she intended from distances that left spectators breathless with amazement. But as impressive as this was, there was more to Annie Oakley's life than her ability with a gun.

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was the most feared pirate of the Golden Age—a towering figure who struck terror into the hearts of sailors from the Caribbean to the Carolinas. Most biographies seem to start and stop with that statement, but there was much more to the life of Blackbeard than that, and much more to learn about the man behind history’s most fearsome pirate legend.

Franklin Pierce was president of the United States during one of the most pivotal periods in American history. He was the 14th president, and during his tenure leading the nation, he had to deal with multiple points of upheaval. He was the captain of the ship, but the boat had sprung multiple leaks. Even so, he managed to expand its scope. Building upon the vast territorial gains of his predecessor President James Polk, he executed the Gadsden Purchase, adding some 30,000 square miles to the Union.

Martha Washington was the original First Lady of the United States and, of course, the wife of General and President George Washington. Yet as much as history has kept her lingering in the shadows of her husband, she has her own unique story to tell. This biography delves into her early life in colonial Virginia, her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis, and the untimely death that left her a young widow managing a vast estate. The narrative then charts her storied courtship and subsequent marriage to George Washington, the man who would become the father of a burgeoning nation.

Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of President John F. Kennedy, is one of the most iconic and beloved First Ladies in American history, lauded for her style and class. But who was the woman behind the image? In this intimate biography, listeners will discover the true Jackie, from her privileged upbringing and education to her marriage to JFK and her life after his assassination.

On the dawn of June 1, 1921, this haven of Black progress came under a brutal and unrelenting attack when several hundred armed White people launched an assault on Greenwood. Among them were members of the Tulsa Police Department, supported by aircraft and even a heavy machine gun. They murdered Greenwood’s inhabitants and systematically looted and burned its buildings. By afternoon, virtually nothing remained of Black Wall Street, and those of its residents who had survived the assault were arrested and confined in makeshift internment camps.

Tom Petty is one of the greatest icons of rock and roll music. He is known for his classic hit songs, such as “Free Fallin’”, “I Won’t Back Down”, and “Learning to Fly”, just as much as for his cool demeanor. Who could ever forget the image of Petty on the Heartbreakers’ debut album in a leather jacket adorned with bullets and a larger-than-life sneer?

The Norman invasion of England in 1066 and the subsequent rule of William the Conqueror are among the best-remembered and often-documented events in European history. What is much less well known is that less than 50 years before the Norman invasion, England was invaded, conquered, and ruled by Scandinavian kings to become part of a North Sea Empire.

With his fiery piano-playing style and powerful stage presence, Jerry Lee Lewis enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame. Although his time as a relevant artist was comparably brief, that short time in the sun was nothing short of revolutionary. While his run lasted, Lewis played a pivotal role in forging what would become classic rock and roll and rockabilly.

Few military conquests lead to truly lasting cultural, political, religious, or societal change. Countries are often occupied by stronger nations, but as those inevitably decline, independence is reasserted and the country usually resumes its previous form. One exception to that is the Norman Conquest of England which took place between 1066 and 1071.

The Punic Wars, a series of three wars involving the Roman Republic and Carthage between 264 and 146 BCE, did much to shape the subsequent history of the world. These wars were among the most important of any fought in the ancient world and led directly to the power and reach of the later Roman Empire. One of these wars also saw the emergence of two men who would become revered as among the greatest military leaders of all time: the Carthaginian leader Hannibal Barca and the Roman General Scipio Africanus....

Apartheid, a state-sponsored policy of discrimination and segregation, was introduced and brutally enforced in South Africa for more than 40 years. It led to thousands of deaths, mass arrests, torture of prisoners, and to the suspension of the most basic human rights for the majority of Black South Africans. How did this come to be, and how did a modern state come to enact and enforce a series of laws deliberately designed to ensure poverty and lack of opportunity for the majority of its population?

Nikita Khrushchev came to power in the aftermath of the notorious Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s death. Although Khrushchev came on the scene with aggression and fury (the world would never forget how he declared that he would bury the West), he was ultimately a much more peaceful Soviet leader than Stalin ever was. Even when the Cold War was at its most dangerous point during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was, in many ways, the measured restraint of Khrushchev which helped to avoid unleashing nuclear Armageddon.

Even half a century after his death, Humphrey Bogart remains one of the most iconic actors of all time. The epitome of class and cool, he embodied the ultimate tough guy—and no one wore a fedora quite like him. “Bogie” began life under uncertain circumstances, born to parents addicted to drugs and disorder, but he would rise above these difficulties to become a star. From Broadway to Hollywood, he became a top-billed actor, the likes of which the world has rarely seen.

Richard Pryor was one of the greatest comedic minds of all time, but his stand-up routine was more than just comedy. His deft navigation through the human condition often made it seem like his comic observations were more akin to a cathartic form of group therapy. As Pryor ran through all the ills of human existence, it was as if he were embarking upon a great purging of the psyche for both him and the audience.