Michael Rank's Blog, page 18
November 24, 2013
5 Best Christmas Gifts for History Buffs
Do you worry that this Christmas, your family will give you a membership to the Summer Sausage of the Month Club? (yes, that actually exists). Have no fear. If you happen to be a history buff, I have compiled a list of the five best Christmas gifts that you can pass on to your friends or family. If you are shopping for a history buff, then this list will make your life much easier. They will not be disappointed.
I have arranged these in the order from the cheapest to most expensive, depending on how extravagant you want to be.
1) History’s Most Insane Rulers – Audible Audio Edition. OK, OK, I had to include one of my own products on this list, and I promise you that this will be the only one. I only included it because it is the best-selling product of mine currently available. The audio version is a 2-hour recording narrated by professional voice actor Kevin Pierce. Learn about the eccentric reigns of Emperor Caligula, Kim Jong-Il, and 8 other megalomaniacs while in your car or at the gym!
Retail: $6.95 (only $4.99 if you buy the book and the Audio Edition together)
2) John Adams HBO miniseries on DVD. One of my favorite series of all time. The seven-part miniseries looks at the life of our first vice president, from the Boston Massacre through the American Revolution, up to his presidency and death on the same day as Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826. This 8-hour-long box set is one of those rare works of historical study that doesn’t try to shoehorn in contemporary events into the past. Instead it lets history speak for itself. And what a fascinating history it is. Brilliantly acted and produced.
Retail: $16.96
3) Geno 2.0 – Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit. Did your ancestors join the march with Alexander the Great? Are you a direct descendant of Charlemagne or William the Conqueror? While this DNA test unfortunately won’t give you that level of precision, it will show you the migration patterns of your ancestors and your ethnic breakdown. It provides your ancestral information by accessing the database filed with the genetic information of the half million people that have participated in National Geographic’s Genographic Project. You will also learn what percentage of your genome is affiliated with specific regions of the world. Warning: not recommended if you pride yourself on being a “pure-breed” of any particular race, as you are likely in for a nasty shock!
Retail: $159.95
4) “The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World.” This course – available courtesy of the Great Courses – consists of 48 full-length lectures and is the mother of all history lessons. Professor Robert Garland of Colgate University narrates daily life for a dazzling cast of characters, from a Greek soldier marching on the front row of a phalanx to a Celtic monk running away with the Book of Kells during a Viking invasion. Available in video or audio download, or by DVD or CD.
Retail: $249.95 (Audio Download)
5) Men’s Skeepskin B-3 Bomber Jacket. You may not know it, but these jackets played a major role in helping the Allies win World War II. This was the military-issued cold-weather flight jacket in 1934, and it kept pilots warm in their long flights over Europe in unpressurized cabins at altitudes of 30,000 feet, where temps dropped as low as 60 below zero. Without them, many a dogfight could have been lost to Nazi pilots or an Allied bombing run failed. Made from Napa leather, resistant to the most extreme cold weather. Imagine you are dropping the 101st Airborne Division over enemy lines right before D-Day, but in the coolest of style.
Retail: $595.
November 18, 2013
HFM 043 | How Jamaica Conquered the World – with Roifield Brown from the ‘How Jamaica Conquered the World’ Podcast
How did a Caribbean island of 3 million people manage to conquer the world with its popular culture? Author and podcaster Roifield Brown answers these questions in our latest podcast.
Check out Royfield’s podcast here.
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November 11, 2013
HFM 042 | Why Medieval Peasants Worked a Lot Less Than You Think
[image error]We all know that working conditions were far more terrible in the past than today. There were no rights for laborers, and people routinely dropped dead from their jobs. But is that truth or a myth? If we take a look at the average day of a medieval peasant, it is enough to make us jealous — minus the bubonic plague, of course.
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November 4, 2013
HFM 041 | Leonardo da Vinci’s Sleep Schedule: Did He Really Only Rest 2 Hours a Day?
[image error]Did everyone’s favorite Renaissance inventor really only sleep 2 hours a day? If so, did anyone else in history do so? How is it possible without dying? We explore all this and more in today’s episode.
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October 31, 2013
HFM 040 | Where Did the Sea Monsters on the Edge of Medieval Maps Come From?
Why do old maps have enormous serpents, giant squids, Krakken, and other terrifying creatures drawn on its edges? Were the oceans infested with mythological creatures in the past, or is there another reason for their appearance? We find out in today’s podcast.
Click here to read more about this topic via an article from the Smithsonian, which inspired me to record this episode.
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October 28, 2013
HFM 039 | Going on Strike in Ancient Egypt with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
[image error]Government departments went on strike in similar ways during the reign of Ramses III (1186-1155 BC) as they do in the 21st century. But how do temple priests strike in similar ways as BART employees in San Francisco? We are joined by Dominic Perry from the Egyptian History Podcast to explain all this for us.
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October 21, 2013
HFM 038 | Love in Ancient Egypt – How to Win the Heart of a Pharoah or Priestess of Isis in a Few Stanzas, with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
What was love like in Ancient Egypt? Did a society that worshipped the sun and cats approach amor in the same way that we do today? We will find out all that and more with our special guest Dominic Perry from the Egyptian History Podcast.
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October 14, 2013
HFM 037 | Akhenaten: The Heretic King of Egypt and Father of Tutankhamun (r. 1353-1334 B.C.) with Dominic Perry from Egyptian History Podcast
What does it take to be considered the “heretic king” in a society that worshipped cats and literally everything under the sun? We find out by exploring the life of Akhenaten: the father of the famed Tutankhamun. He reigned from 1353-1334 B.C. and has quite an interesting life.
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October 7, 2013
HFM 036 | Why Russian Revolutions of the 17th and 18th Century Were the Cause of the USSR – With Mark Schauss of the Russian Rulers History Podcast
[image error]What caused the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917? Was it the result of a few days of rioting getting out of control? Or is there a much deeper reason? Today we have Mark Schauss of the Russian Rulers History Podcast to discuss this question.
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September 30, 2013
HFM 035 | Hannibal of Carthage and the Pincher Move: The Hardest Military Maneuver in History
Hannibal almost destroyed the Roman Empire by deploying an incredibly effective maneuver — the double pincher. How did he do it, and why is it so hard to pull off?
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