検索キーワード： 歴史

Before the United States of America even existed, the first American celebrity was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). In his career, Franklin was an author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. After having his hand in all kinds of community service in Philadelphia, and inventing important devices like lightning rods, Franklin used his unique status as an international celebrity to become the colonies' best diplomat.

Jefferson was instrumental in authoring the Declaration of Independence, laying out the ideological groundwork of the notion of states' rights, leading one of the first political parties, and overseeing the expansion of the United States during his presidency.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is one of the most famous Americans in history and one of the country's most revered presidents. Schoolchildren can recite the life story of Lincoln, the "Westerner" who educated himself and became a self-made man, rising from lawyer to leader of the new Republican Party before becoming the 16th President of the United States.

Every American is taught a pristine narrative of the life and legacy of George Washington and can easily recite the highlights of the "Father of Our Country". The remarkable Virginian led an under-resourced rag-tag army to ultimate victory in the American Revolution before becoming the nation's first president, setting it on its path toward superpower status. He may not have actually chopped down a cherry tree or tossed a silver dollar across the Potomac, but his contemporaries considered his character above reproach.

Sacagawea is one of the most famous Native American women in American history, and few played such a central role in the settlement of the West for the young nation. As a young woman who was married to a French trapper from Quebec, Sacagawea happened to be in the right place at the right time for the legendary Lewis and Clark expedition which set off for the Pacific coast after President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with France.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer for Buffalo Bill's Wild West called. "Miss Annie Oakley, the little girl of the Western Plains!" Oakley galloped into the arena, firing her gun from different angles and hitting even the most difficult targets. Rivaling all other sharpshooters of her day, Annie Oakley, the first female competitive shooter, opened doors for women to new sports and new opportunities.

The life story of Major Robert Rogers, the New England frontiersman who recruited companies of colonial soldiers, known as Rogers' Rangers, to fight for the British in the French and Indian War, is a compelling mix of military intrigue and national identity. This feisty major codified colonial military strategies into a document, known as Standing Orders, and put these principles to practice in many battles, campaigns, and scouting.

Crockett had the distinction of being a living legend in his own life. Known as a hardscrabble frontiersman who could spin a good yarn but who also took a no-nonsense approach that brought him from the backwoods of Tennessee to the halls of Congress. Though he served during the presidency of another Westerner, Andrew Jackson, Crockett was very much his own man, and he was distrustful of other politicians, a sentiment that has only endured him further to subsequent generations of Americans.

A revered citizen-soldier of the American Revolutionary War, South Carolina-born Francis Marion has been dubbed by some the "father of the U.S. Army Special Forces." This innovative patriot earned the nickname the "Swamp Fox" from a British colonel who all too often lost track of Marion when the clever soldier made stealthy retreats into American swamp lands.

Of all the colorful characters that inhabited the West during the 19th century, the most famous of them all is Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), who has long been regarded as the embodiment of the Wild West. Considered the toughest and deadliest gunman of his day.

In many ways, the narrative of the Wild West has endured more as legend than reality, and a perfect example of that can be found in the legend of James Butler Hickok (1837-1876), forever known as "Wild Bill". Indeed, separating fact from fiction when it comes to the life of Wild Bill is nearly impossible, something due in great measure to the fact that the man himself exaggerated his own adventures or fabricated stories altogether.

In a time where thousands pushed westward to find their fortune, Stephen Austin went west to found a colony. The fierce struggle between Austin's settlers and the Mexican government would lead to the birth of Texas and countless stories of heroes and heroism. Jailed by Mexican authorities, Austin fought a long, bitter struggle for the survival of Texas. Many may not know that Austin's dream almost did not come true.

Named Temujin at birth by his nomadic family in early Mongolia, the great Genghis Khan used his skill and cunning to create the Mongol Empire and conquer almost the entire continent of Asia. As ruler of the largest empire in human history, he was as respected as he was feared. Learn more about the man and the legend in Who Was Genghis Khan?

A leader in American victories against the British in the American Revolutionary War, Lafayette also championed the Americans' cause at peace talks in France. A life story interwoven with issues of international diplomacy, military expertise, and contributions to another nation's fight for freedom, Lafayette is an important reminder that not all the heroes of the American Revolution were American.

America meant "freedom" to the immigrants of the early 1900s - but a freedom very different from what they expected. Cities were crowded and jobs were scare. Children had to work selling newspapers, delivering goods, and laboring sweatshops. In this touching book, Newberry Medalist Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America.

Ferocious raids, heroic battles, larger-than-life leaders, and courageous explorers that changed the course of human history. From battle-ax-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview.

Poland, 1940. The Russian army invades the beautiful city streets of Vilna. Soldiers storm 10-year-old Esther Rudomin's house and arrest her entire family. The Rudomins, the soldiers say, are "capitalists - enemies of the people". Forced from their home and friends, the Rudomins are herded onto crowded cattle cars. Their destination: the endless steppe of Siberia.

At least as far back as the ancient myth of Icarus, humans longed to fly - but it wasn't until December 17, 1903, on the windy dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, that the dream finally came true. And it was all thanks to Orville and Wilbur Wright, two former bicycle mechanics who built their first toy plane - a rubber-band powered rotary - when they were just children.

Famous Heroes of the American West is a lively account of the "Wild West" and its renowned figures, narrated with vigor by Adam Sims. The lives of Davy Crockett, Christopher Kit" Carson, Calamity Jane, and Sitting Bull, among others, are explored in detail. Their exploits, adventures, and alliances make for fascinating listening.

Im Jahre 1922 entdeckt Howard Carter im Tal der Könige das Grab des Pharaos Tutanchamun. Nach über sechsjähriger Suche, kurz vor der endgültigen Aufgabe seiner Mission, ist er am Ziel. Das, was sich ihm bei der Graböffnung bietet übertrifft alles bisher Dagewesene. Unermessliche Schätze waren der früher üblichen Grabplünderung entgangen und kommen nun ans Tageslicht.