Oh, Say Did You Know?: The Secret History of America's Famous Figures, Fads, Innovations & Emblems

by Fred DuBose, Marth Hailey

With wit and charm, Oh Say Did You Know serves up 300 intriguing events and ideas that helped shape the United States. Gain valuable insight into the intricacies of every period of American history, from colonial days to the historic election of the first African American president. Five chapters cover a variety of topics, including government, politics, economy, commerce, science, education, innovation, medicine, daily life, and arts and entertainment.

Myth-debunking sidebars and fun tidbits about lesser-known historical figures are dispersed throughout the book, along with lists such as "Cup o'Canary, Wench!" (long-forgotten drinks serves in colonial taverns) and "America's Ten Highest-Grossing Movies" (from Gone With the Wind to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ). Whether you're a history buff or a lover of miscellany, you won't be able to get enough of these fascinating anecdotes. You'll find engaging tales and facts, including these

*"Gambling in the Colonies"-Gambling was a fact of life in early America, and the governments of all 13 colonies used lotteries to help finance road building and numerous other public projects.

*"The Costly Epizootic of 1872"-Less than a decade after the Civil War, a fast- moving equine influenza swept down from Canada into the United States, crippled virtually all of the nation's horses, and left the economy in ruins.

*DIDN'T HAPPEN "Betsy Ross's Flagging Reputation"-Sheer hearsay put Betsy Ross into history books as the person who designed the American flag. The more likely designer was Francis Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

*OUR NATIVE TONGUE "Atomic Slang"-Words and terms coined in the early years include go ballistic, more bang for the buck, blast (a great party) and bombed (seriously inebriated). REVIEW

Genres: Nonfiction, History

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2009

Reviews

[Kirk Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Good reference, entertaining, illustrates many aspects of American life throughout history.

[April Helms · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a bit mixed on this book. On one hand, it's very easy to read and entertaining. There are a lot of neat stories in it about our various historical figures, as well as some not-so-well known people. It is well organized by topic. It's a very quick read. But a few things bothered me. One, there was no index, no list of sources (if there is one, I somehow missed it). After this, I'm relying on memory; it's been a while since I've read the book. But there was a reference to Thomas Edison, how he made a sort of crude brief movie (was it the Kinetoscope?) about a war battle (I think it was the Boer war)-- except the whole battle had been staged. The attitude of the writing was ah, but who cares if Edison "gilded the lily," since he made so many wonderful inventions. Basically, the book excuses him for dishonesty because he was successful. That's the impression I was left with and it left a bad taste in my mouth, especially since this book seems aimed at older grade school children. It seems there were a couple other bits of information that didn't sound right to me, but I don't recall what those might have been, and I forgot to write it down. There also was, I remember, a missed opportunity: on one page, it mentions about the first dishwashing machine, invented by Josephine Cochrane, was first seen at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. On the very next page, it mentions the Ferris Wheel -- but makes no mention that it, too, was a part of the same World Fair (indeed, it was one of the highlights, created to outdo the Eiffel Tower, which had been created as the entrance arch for the 1889 World Fair. I highly recommend The Devil in the White City for anyone wanting more information on the 1893 World Fair). While I understand the book was crafted to be a fast read, with very short stories, this omission seemed odd to me.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

History is made up of stories, right? This book contains anecdotes that make those stories live, the type of information that helps you remember more than just the bare facts of the events, people and dates. I wish some had been embellished a little more (for example, what were the lyrics to "To Anacreon in Heaven", the song that gave us the melody to our national anthem?) but other than that this is a fun, quick read.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well told facts, generally unknown, to help clarify our chaotic history. Now this is how I would have liked to have learned history. There is humor and humanity in every section.