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Whitney Houston was a rare star. She burst onto the music scene like a supernova one might only see once in a million years. Despite a humble beginning, she rapidly rose to fame on the strength of her voice and unbeatable charisma.

On May 25, 1961, less than two months after a Soviet cosmonaut had made the very first space flight, President John F. Kennedy told Congress, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

Bing Crosby was a real legend. Celebrated across the country and beyond, he was essentially America’s first superstar. With catchy tunes, a catchy name, and a laid-back, charming personality that everyone just seemed to love, Crosby was a star both on and off stage.

John Tyler is perhaps one of America’s lesser-known presidents, and the fact that he even became president was due to the tragic death of his predecessor, William Henry Harrison. Throughout history, Tyler was indeed mostly known merely for the fact that he was the first vice president to be promoted to the presidency, but there is more to John Tyler’s story than that. He presided over a tumultuous time in American history and continued to play a decisive role in American politics even after leaving the White House. Here, in this book, we explore his life and his legacy in full.

Seen by many as one of America’s greatest presidents, Harry S. Truman was, in many ways, an unexpected president. He came from a very undistinguished background and is, in fact, the only US president in recent history with the honor of being a college dropout. Despite what he may have lacked in formal education, Truman was a quick learner from the real-life experience he was given on the world stage. As president, he gets the credit for some major milestones in American policy. Here, in this book, we cover the dynamic life and powerful legacy of President Harry S. Truman in full.

Dean Martin was a natural entertainer, known not only for his singing ability but also for his great showmanship on the stage. With Martin, it wasn’t just about the song—it was about the whole package. With songs such as “That’s Amore” and movies like Rio Bravo, he took the world by storm. Later, Dean Martin, along with other famous entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., forged the ultimate group of performers: The Rat Pack. No one could keep Dean Martin’s spirit down for long. This is his life—this is his story.

Messages written in secret codes or invisible ink, agents operating behind enemy lines and known only by code names, the provision of vital secret intelligence used to direct military operations—these are staple elements of modern spy fiction. Still, all were used more than 200 years ago by one of the first professional spy networks ever created: the Culper Spy Ring. This is the story of a network of courageous patriot spies operating for several years in British-occupied New York during the American Revolutionary War.

William Henry Harrison—the man who holds the record for the shortest tenure as a United States president—was in office for barely a month before he abruptly perished. For most, this is where the story of William Henry Harrison ends as just a mere footnote in history, but his life was much more than those last fitful few weeks. Harrison had quite a career prior to his foray into the presidency. He served as a heroic and capable military commander and fought with distinction in the War of 1812. Here in this book, we will explore the life and legacy of William Henry Harrison in full.

When Union and Confederate forces met at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, each side was confident of victory. The Northern and Southern Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis each hoped for a triumph that would bring a swift and decisive end to the Civil War that split the United States into two warring nations. Union General Irvin McDowell was the first of a succession of commanders who failed to deliver victories for the North. The South could boast of the military brilliance of General Thomas Jackson.

On a battlefield so littered with dead bodies that General Ulysses S. Grant said it would have been possible to walk across it in any direction without a foot touching the ground, the Union Army notched a brutal but significant victory against the Confederate Army. The two-day battle, with the highest number of casualties recorded in the fighting up to that time, dashed the hopes of a short war. Still, few could have grasped that this battle was only the beginning of a national campaign of slaughter that would see so many Yankee and Rebel deaths.

The deciding battle of the War of 1812, the Battle of New Orleans, was won by the Americans on January 8, 1815, a few scant weeks after the British and American negotiators signed the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war, at least on paper. Assessed from that perspective, it might be regarded as an unnecessary battle of no importance, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Jackson Pollock was without a doubt one of the twentieth century’s most controversial painters. He started out painting abstracts in the style of Pablo Picasso but soon branched out, establishing the “drip” method, which entails dripping or flinging paint directly onto the canvas. For this, he was both praised and demonized; still, he persisted on his own chosen path.

One of the foremost screen sirens of her era, Katharine Hepburn was universally known for her grace, wit, and charm. She rose to the top of celebrity status in the great Golden Age of Hollywood, and she was able to maintain her sense of stardom all the way to her twilight years. During her many years in the limelight, Hepburn was dogged by wild gossip and rumors due to her eccentricities and often solitary lifestyle. This book cuts through all the noise and gets down to the core of Katharine Hepburn as we examine how she lived and loved.

Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad became famous for his popularization of an Afrocentric branch of Islam. In later years, however, the movement came under fire after critics pointed out that its ideology had very little to do with the mainstream faith. Nevertheless, Elijah’s words and teachings still managed to galvanize and capture the hearts of millions of disaffected and oppressed African Americans. During the movement’s heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Elijah extended his hand to a downtrodden people in a way that few others could.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the foremost American novelists of his time. His works, which included masterpieces such as The Great Gatsby, portrayed the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties and gave voice to a lost generation, but somewhere along the way, Fitzgerald himself became lost. After the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, the world cared not so much about glitz and glamor as they did simply trying to scrape together enough money to get by.

A prominent Lakota Sioux chief and medicine man, Sitting Bull was both a man of peace and a man of war as he sought to simultaneously fight and negotiate on behalf of his people during the westward expansion of the United States. His visions inspired and led the Native American warriors to victory in the legendary Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. This triumph would, however, be short-lived, and Sitting Bull and his loyal band of followers would be forced to surrender their freedom only five years later. This book reveals his incredible life and legacy in full.

The Seven Years’ War, also known as the French and Indian War in North America, was fought between 1756 and 1763, and it involved all of Europe’s great powers and many of the so-called middle powers. By the end of the conflict, Britain would gain control over Canada and Florida, but the war would nearly bankrupt the country as it doubled its national debt. Still, the war marked the beginning of the era of British dominance in North America. The war also had profound consequences for indigenous groups in North America.

With the help of a newspaper reporter, a legend was created of Jesse James as a hero and defender of the South. That legend gave Jesse James 20 years to rob and kill at will, as it was usually disguised in the press as heroism. No lawman was ever able to bring Jesse James down; ultimately, he died at the hands of one of his own men. This book tells the story of his life from beginning to end.

Joan Crawford was a legend. Few could compare to the charm and grace that she brought to the silver screen. Little did anyone know, however, of the charmed yet ultimately tragic life she led away from the camera and the main stage. Crawford was married four times and ended up disinheriting two of her children from her will. She certainly had her share of problems, but no one could keep this ambitious leading lady down for long. In this audiobook, we cover the life and legend of Joan Crawford in full.

Pancho Villa was many things to many people. To some, he was a freedom fighter and revolutionary; to others, he was nothing more than a bloodthirsty bandit and killer. Villa’s life did indeed take many twists and turns, and some of the decisions he made would undoubtedly make many of us question his motives. This book seeks to cut through all of the moral ambiguity and deliver a testament of his life as it really was. Here, you will find the life and legacy of Pancho Villa in full.