検索キーワード： ナレーター "Matthew J. Chandler-Smith" すべてのカテゴリー

Imagine a society with no unemployment, zero inflation, free healthcare and education, free childcare, virtually no serious crime, and where women and men are treated with absolute equality. Such a society has existed: in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), popularly known as East Germany.

Alfred Hitchcock’s work is legendary, and although he himself was known as a rather quiet and subdued figure in public, those who knew him privately saw a fiery disposition and unbridled passion lurking just beneath the surface of his placid exterior. Films such as Rebecca, Vertigo, Psycho, and The Birds sky-rocketed him to fame, and have since led many to hail him as the greatest director of all time.

The British Raj refers to the time from 1858 to 1947 when the British Crown directly ruled the Indian subcontinent. During those 90 years, India saw enormous social, political, and cultural upheaval. New systems of education were introduced, and increasing industrialization brought societal change. The British administration also united large numbers of indigenous people, though they were often united mainly by their opposition to the British and their desire for independence.

A great deal has been written about the history of the Native American people of North America and particularly about their experiences, since the arrival of white settlers. However, there is another people whose history mirrors the experience of many Native American tribes, but who have become almost completely forgotten: the Sami, Europe’s only indigenous people.

With his signature guitar that reverberated like a ringing bell, Chuck Berry captured the spirit of teenage rebellion and the joy of the youth culture of the time. His performance style, including his famous duck walk, was as captivating as his music and soon made him a popular figure on stage. His breakout came in the mid-1950s when songs like “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Johnny B. Goode” took America and the world by storm.

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.

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.

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.

The US-led war in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 was one of the most controversial wars in recent history. The invasion of Iraq was justified by claims that the regime of Saddam Hussein had links with terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda, and possessed weapons of mass destruction that might be used in an attack on another country. Both these claims were later shown to be false.

With his delicate phraseology and deft massaging of truth and deception, Joseph Goebbels was the mouthpiece of a monstrous regime, dishing out propaganda for Nazi Germany throughout World War II. It was his mission to entirely subsume the consciousness of the German people with the warped ideals of the Nazi Party. Through this means, he convinced everyday Germans to look the other way while some of the worst atrocities in history were committed.

Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors,” and never has this been truer than in the case of the Parthian Empire. The Parthians left few written records, and most of what we know about the empire comes from its two main adversaries—first the Greeks and then, for most of its history, the Romans. Fortunately, modern scholarship and archaeology have recently helped us to understand a little more about this ancient empire.

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?

In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel launched an invasion of Egypt. For Britain and France, the main objective was to secure control over the vital Suez Canal and to re-emphasize their place as significant world powers. For Israel, the issue was defeating a hostile and powerful Arab neighbor.

Roy Orbison possessed a voice that commanded immediate attention. He may have appeared meek and mild-mannered on the surface, yet beneath this facade lay an inner world brimming with passion and fervor. Orbison’s style was innovative and avant-garde, almost as if he were an embodiment of alternative rock before the term even entered the lexicon. He represented the emotive, tender facet of rock and roll, a stark contrast to his contemporaries, who were often swathed in leather jackets and exuded the confidence of a typical rockstar.

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.

Compared to other more long-lived political figures, Robert F. Kennedy’s career was brief. He first emerged on the national stage as attorney general under his brother, President John F. Kennedy. In this role, he became a vigorous advocate for civil rights and cracked down on organized crime by going after mob bosses and high-profile Mafia families. Following his brother’s assassination in 1963, RFK transitioned to a role in the Senate, representing New York.

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.

Thanks to a certain novel and movie franchise, the Jurassic Period has been indelibly cemented in the public imagination as the time of dinosaurs. That was certainly true: the Jurassic Period saw reptiles such as the long-necked Brachiosaurus, the armored Stegosaurus, and the fearsome Allosaurus become the dominant living creatures on planet Earth, a position they maintained for more than 150 million years. However, many of the movie dinosaurs that decorated millions of lunchboxes and backpacks were not from the Jurassic Period at all, but from the following Cretaceous Period.

Aretha Franklin stands out as an artist who not only sang beautifully but also lived life authentically by her own rules. She was not just a performer; she was a mesmerizing presence that seemed to speak directly to the soul. A mere glance from her seemed to exude the very essence of “Respect,” a word that became synonymous with her name and her stance in both her career and personal life. She was an undeniable icon, and her songs would become anthems of self-empowerment for millions.