Veteran journalist Len Barcousky shines a light on the hidden corners of Pittsburgh's history.When Mark Twain visited in 1884, he claimed to spy a little bit of hell in Pittsburgh's smoky appearance. Twain's observations are among the many riveting firsthand accounts and anecdotes to be found in the archives of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Great War hit home after the sinking of the Lusitania, which carried more than a dozen Pittsburgh residents. A few years la...

The doomed Whiskey Rebellion, the Great Fire that destroyed a third of the city in 1845 and Lincoln's speech urging residents to shun talk of secession--all have made the pages of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and its predecessors. Since 1786, the paper has covered local events, and reporter Len Barcousky is a part of this long tradition. This collection of his "Eyewitness" columns draws on next-day stories to tell the history of the city, from President Coolidge's almost-silent visit in 192...

On Christmas Day 1860, the "Daily Pittsburgh Gazette "announced that more than one hundred cannons from the nearby U.S. Arsenal were to be shipped south. Fiercely loyal to the Union, Pittsburghers halted the movement of the artillery, which would have been seized by secessionist sympathizers. Over the course of the Civil War, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County provided both troops and equipment--including heavy artillery--in disproportionately large numbers. While no major battles were fought...

How a young general shaped a nation — a fascinating account of George Washington as he faced a war and came out as America's first presidentThe American Revolution was won not on the battlefields, but through the mind of George Washington. One of America's founding fathers, Washington's story is one that influenced how our entire nation was built. A compulsively readable narrative and extensive history, George Washington's War illuminates how during the wa...

Updated With The Latest Facts And Photos"A Black history buff's dream." --EbonyFrom ground-breaking achievements to awe-inspiring feats of excellence, this definitive resource reveals over 450 "firsts" by African Americans in fields as diverse as government, entertainment, education, science, medicine, law, the military, and the business world. Discover the first doctor to perform open heart surgery and the youngest person to fly solo around the wo...

"Does for the Civil War period what Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States did for the study of American history in general." — Library JournalHistorian David Williams has written the first account of the American Civil War as viewed though the eyes of ordinary people—foot soldiers, slaves, women, prisoners of war, draft resisters, Native Americans, and others. Richly illustrated with little-known anecdotes and firsthand testimony, ...

Mount Pleasant has deep American roots going back to the Revolutionary War, when local tenant farmers filled the ranks of General Washington�s Continental army. For years, travel to New York City was difficult, until the arrival of the railroad in 1846 allowed easy transportation to lower Manhattan. In 1893, John D. Rockefeller Sr. began buying land in Pocantico and built his classic Georgian mansion. The massive Kensico Dam in Valhalla was completed in 1917 to satisfy the growing thirst o...

African-American life through the centuries in this Hudson Valley town, from Peekskill's official historian—includes maps and photos.The first African Americans of Peekskill had no choice in making the Hudson Valley their home. What they did choose was what kind of home to make of it. Those choices would shape both their community and the course of American history.Meet the African American sharpshooter who helped swing the balance of the American Revolutio...

Boston. Bahston. A wicked good look at the city of Boston, it’s people, history, culture, and surrounding neighborhoods.Whether it's called Beantown, The Olde Towne, Titletown, The Cradle of Liberty, The Athens of America, The Puritan City, The City on a Hill, or any of its other obscure or oft-repeated nicknames, Boston has a long and varied history. Its universities and hospitals lead the nation, and its sports teams, politicians, and colloquialisms continue to c...

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • An unprecedented examination of how news stories, editorials and photographs in the American press—and the journalists responsible for them—profoundly changed the nation’s thinking about civil rights in the South during the 1950s and ‘60s.Roberts and Klibanoff draw on private correspondence, notes from secret meetings, unpublished articles, and interviews to show how a dedicated cadre of newsmen—black and white—revealed to a nation its most ...

THE NEW YORK TIMES**#1** BESTSELLERThe must-have companion to Bill O'Reilly's historical docudrama, Legends and Lies: The Patriots is an exciting and eye-opening look at the Revolutionary War through the lives of its leaders.The American Revolution was neither inevitable nor a unanimous cause. It pitted neighbors against each other, as loyalists and colonial rebels faced off for their lives and futures. Th...

This edition of the series explores the boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Over 600 historical sites are described within, based on the WPA 1939 Guide to New York City. Along with historical text of each site, borough histories, reference maps, and GPS Coordinates are included. Travelers and residents alike will find enjoyment and education.