Charles River

*Includes pictures. *Includes Welles' quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I have always been more interested in experiment, than in accomplishment." - Orson Welles A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. When it comes to Hollywood and the entertainment industry, perhaps nobody catapulted to fame as quickly or as strangely as Orson Welles, but it would also be safe to say that few produced such critically acclaimed work either. Though he had worked on stage productions from an early age and seamlessly transitioned into radio, few were familiar with his work until a legendary 1938 radio broadcast of H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, during which some people who heard Welles narrating the work truly believed that an alien invasion was underway. As Welles famously apologized at the end of the broadcast, "This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character, to assure you that The War of the Worlds has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be; The Mercury Theatre's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying 'Boo '" Although the alleged widespread hysteria caused by that broadcast is mostly overstated, the notorious broadcast made Welles a household name, and he only followed it up with one of the greatest movies ever made: Citizen Kane. As the co-writer, producer, director, and main star of the film, a biting social critique of newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, Welles' first movie would end up being his most famous and critically acclaimed. Of course, it also ensured that he would continue to work across every entertainment medium for the next 4 decades, juggling radio, the stage, movies, and television throughout the rest of his illustrious career. American Legends: The Life of Orson Welles examines the life and career of one of America's greatest and most versatile entertainers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Welles like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures of Hawthorne and other important people and places in his life. *Explains how Hawthorne's friends and family influenced his classic works. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "The bubble reputation is as much a bubble in literature as in war, and I should not be one whit the happier if mine were world-wide and time-long than I was when nobody but yourself had faith in me. The only sensible ends of literature are, first, the pleasurable toil of writing; second, the gratification of one's family and friends; and, lastly, the solid cash." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1851. A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Nathaniel Hawthorne needs no formal introduction for any American who took a literature course in high school. It's impossible to avoid reading one of Hawthorne's classics, particularly The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. Hawthorne could trace his family roots back to the Puritans of the 17th century colonies, and he was clearly qualified to produce some of America's greatest historical fiction. In fact, people have long believed he changed the spelling of his last name to avoid association with an ancestor who had been involved in the Salem Witch trials, and his inclinations were on display with the way he portrayed Puritan Massachusetts in The Scarlet Letter. Given the fact that his home was Salem and he was a Transcendentalist, it's no surprise that much of Hawthorne's writing centers on New England, and his works were imbued with moral allegories that often featured the Puritans. With themes like evil, sin, and humanity, Hawthorne created unusually deep and complex characters in an era where it was rare to flesh out characters' psyches. Most Americans are roughly familiar with some of Hawthorne's life and work, but few are truly aware of just how prodigious Hawthorne was. In addition to his classic novels, Hawthorne wrote nearly 100 short stories, including classics like The Birthmark, and he rubbed elbows with men like Ralph Waldo Emerson, President Franklin Pierce, and other writers like Herman Melville. American Legends: The Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne profiles the life and career of one of America's greatest writers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Hawthorne like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes Armstrong's quotes *Includes a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." - Louis Armstrong A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Louis Armstrong once claimed that "Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine-I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans... It has given me something to live for." This statement conjures an image which most anyone familiar with jazz music can recall: Armstrong clutching his trumpet forcefully, his eyes closed in a manner that distances him from his physical surroundings in favor of a perfect harmony between the man and his instrument. As Armstrong alludes to in this remark, this connection also speaks to the enduring influence of his New Orleans background, which informed his musical style and indeed continued to live on through his music. To be sure, while performing, Armstrong appeared lost in a reverie, a condition that imbued his performances with a kind of mythical flair, as if one were watching a man consumed by a moment of transcendence. In other words, if the music of Louis Armstrong produced an emotional response in the listener, this invariably paled in comparison with the deep, organic pathos he was able to produce through his music. Of course, Armstrong's testament to the power of New Orleans is also particularly noteworthy in light of the fact that New Orleans was hardly the benevolent city that one might assume on the basis of his testimony. It is well known to anyone with even a passing knowledge of Armstrong that New Orleans was the site of Armstrong's nascent love for music, but also an environment that took no prisoners and exposed him to sights that would traditionally be shielded from the eyes of children: extreme violence, prostitution, and abject poverty. Throughout his life, Armstrong was not afraid to make frequent reference to New Orleans, yet the frankness with which he spoke did not preclude maintaining an appreciation for the city-and, indeed, crediting it with fostering his nascent interest in music as a boy. There was, accordingly, a remarkably complex relationship between Louis Armstrong and the city of New Orleans, as the city simultaneously served as an environment that forced him to confront extreme adversity, and assumed a crucial role in developing his musical sensibilities. American Legends: The Life of Louis Armstrong explores the life and career of Louis Armstrong, with attention paid to the special role that New Orleans played in the development of his love for music and the construction of his artistic persona. Indeed, one cannot consider the works of the mature Louis Armstrong without first understanding the indelible imprint that his cultural upbringing exerted on his sensibility. This analysis also considers Armstrong's career in each of its stages, from his earliest years performing in a big band to his later years, in which he played in the All Stars, a small group. The relationship between Armstrong's music and pop music is also considered, as Armstrong's late career was to a certain degree focused on his own interpretations of pop songs. Because he stands as one of the most important black artists of all time, Armstrong's race is also considered (and his perhaps reticent role as a black cultural figurehead), particularly in the context of the emergent Civil Rights Movement that took shape during the latter stages of his career.

*Includes pictures of Hepburn and important people, places, and scenes. *Includes Hepburn's own quotes about her upbringing, films and relationships. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living. After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four." - Katharine Hepburn A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Early in her career, there was no actress more controversial than Katharine Hepburn. By the end of her career, there was no actress more beloved than Katharine Hepburn. Famously labeled "box office poison" in 1938, it is clear that Hollywood was not prepared for the young Hepburn. Yet, even after being scorned by the general public, Hepburn still retained a magnetism that would endear her to the public for decades to come, and after a tumultuous first decade as an actress, Hepburn became arguably the biggest box office sensation in the industry. Moreover, in an era when most actresses were unable to secure starring roles after reaching middle age, Hepburn remained a leading lady even after turning 60. Hepburn acted in some capacity from the start of the 1930s through the early-1990s, and it is important to view how the nature of Hepburn's roles changed from her youth to old age. Aside from being one of the most recognized and acclaimed actresses in history, Hepburn's career is also of great importance because she forced Americans to reevaluate their expectations for female behavior, both in films themselves and off the movie set as well. As society began to pay greater attention to the importance of strong roles for women, Hepburn's career gained an even greater importance, and at a time in which women were expected to be passive, she was a fiercely individual figure who offered a daring alternative to the conventions of femininity that had long existed in American culture. Through exploring Hepburn's upbringing and family background, it is possible to gain insight into exactly how Hepburn was endowed with such an iconoclastic spirit. In addition to examining her background, this study considers the broad scope of her career, considering important factors such as how her image evolved over her career. American Legends: The Life of Katharine Hepburn profiles the life and career of one of America's most iconic actresses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Hepburn like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes Josephine Baker's quotes about her life and career *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad." - Josephine Baker "Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul, when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood." - Josephine Baker A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. From a young girl growing up in the slums of Missouri who hired herself out as a maid at 12 to provide for her younger siblings to the lead dancer in the Folies Bergere idolized by Parisians, Josephine Baker danced to the beat of her own drum. Undeniably she possessed an innate charisma, but she also went out of her way to make an audience notice her. As a chorus girl in Harlem, she might have remained a bit player, but Josephine would break out of the line, crossing her eyes and mugging funny faces, all the while ignoring the other girls' synced steps, to dance in her own wild and unique style. She faced injustice and discrimination at many junctures of her life, but Josephine Baker, rather than succumbing to these setbacks, determinedly fought against them. During World War II, she enlisted as a member of the Resistance, mysteriously turning up in Morocco when many thought she had died. She also joined the fight for Civil Rights in the U. S., becoming such an instrumental figure that soon after Martin Luther King's assassination, his widow asked her to return to the U. S. and serve as the new leader of the movement. Josephine fought oppression, but she never lost her gaiety or joie de vivre. She was devoted to her career, but she was equally devoted to the 12 children of various ethnicities she adopted, dubbed the "Rainbow Tribe." In the 1960s, Josephine suffered illnesses and setbacks that left in dire financial straits, and in 1968, the woman who had once been at the top of Parisian society was evicted from her home by the Parisian government. For a moment, she thought her career was washed up, but in 1974, she played Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation, as well as the London Palladium and the Monaco Red Cross Gala that celebrated her 50 years in French show business. When Josephine died in 1975, over 20,000 people attended her funeral in Paris, which was viewed by countless others as it was broadcast on French television. Josephine Baker was ahead of her time in many ways, which is probably why she still resonates so strongly with many people today. As a multi-dimensional woman who lived a life with hardly a dull moment, Josephine Baker steps out of the pages of history, much as she did as a chorus girl, and continues to capture people's interest. American Legends: The Life of Josephine Baker examines the life and career of one of the 20th century's most famous performers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Josephine Baker like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes Wayne's entire filmography *Includes pictures of Wayne and important people and places in his life. *Analyzes Wayne's legacy on the screen and off of it. *Includes some of Wayne's most colorful and controversial quotes. "Every country in the world loved the folklore of the West -- the music, the dress, the excitement, everything that was associated with the opening of a new territory. It took everybody out of their own little world. The cowboy lasted a hundred years, created more songs and prose and poetry than any other folk figure. The closest thing was the Japanese samurai. Now, I wonder who'll continue it." - John Wayne A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Hollywood has produced no shortage of famous movie stars, but none have been as culturally significant as John Wayne. Marion Morrison was born in a quintessentially quaint Midwestern town, but he eventually grew up to become John Wayne, the legend of the silver screen who embodied the Western frontier. Wayne starred in so many movies (nearly 150 in all) that when asked to name his worst, he joked that 50 of them were tied, but the excessive number allowed Wayne to portray heroes of all stripes, from cowboys to soldiers, and he was invariably charming, courageous, and full of rugged, masculine swagger. Even as Westerns have certainly waned in popularity, Wayne himself has remained immensely popular, in part because he set the prototype for the heroic character, regardless of genre. Wayne will always be associated with Westerns, John Wayne transcended the Western genre. Through the portrayal of rugged, masculine characters, Wayne came to epitomize the American spirit and the way Americans view themselves. In that sense, he is truly America's actor, and he continues to live on in both the reels of Hollywood's archives and the living rooms of middle America. At the same time, the central role of John Wayne in defining a big piece of American culture is not without controversy. His later interview with Playboy magazine is a case in point. Many Americans today realize that John Wayne's America, though beloved by many, is not the America that everyone calls their own. Western movies that pay homage to Confederate soldiers and Indian-killing frontiersman and cowboys are not everyone's cup of tea. American Legends: The Life of John Wayne looks at the iconic actor's life on and off the silver screen, from his outsized influence to Hollywood to his outspoken views on politics. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about The Duke like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures of Brown and important people and places in his life. *Includes Brown's jailhouse interview and courtroom statement after being convicted and sentenced to death. *Discusses the relationships Brown had with famous contemporaries like Frederick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood. I had, as I now think vainly, flattered myself that without very much bloodshed it might be done." - John Brown the day of his execution A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Throughout the 1850s, American politicians tried to sort out the nation's intractable issues. In an attempt to organize the center of North America - Kansas and Nebraska - without offsetting the slave-free balance, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas-Nebraska Act eliminated the Missouri Compromise line of 1820, which the Compromise of 1850 had maintained. Settlers could now vote whether they wanted their state to be slave or free, and the primary result was that thousands of zealous pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates both moved to Kansas to influence the vote, creating a dangerous and ultimately deadly mix. The most famous and infamous of them all was John Brown, one of the most controversial men in American history. A radical abolitionist, Brown organized a small band of like-minded followers and fought with the armed groups of pro-slavery men in Kansas for several months, including a notorious incident known as the Pottawatomie Massacre, in which Brown's supporters murdered five men. In 1859 he began to set a new plan in motion that he hoped would create a full scale slave uprising in the South. Brown's plan relied on raiding Harpers Ferry, a strategically located armory in western Virginia that had been the main federal arms depot after the Revolution. Given its proximity to the South, Brown hoped to seize thousands of rifles and move them south, gathering slaves and swelling his numbers as he went. The slaves would then be armed and ready to help free more slaves, inevitably fighting Southern militias along the way. Brown traveled to Harper's Ferry that summer under an assumed name and waited for his recruits, but he struggled to get even 20 people to join him. Rather than call off the plan, however, Brown went ahead with it, and that Fall, he and his men used hundreds of rifles to seize the armory at Harper's Ferry. However, the plan went haywire from the start, and word of his attack quickly spread. Local pro-slavery men formed a militia and pinned Brown and his men down while they were still at the armory. The fallout from John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was intense. Southerners had long suspected that abolitionists hoped to arm the slaves and use violence to abolish slavery, and Brown's raid seemed to confirm that. Meanwhile, much of the northern press praised Brown for his actions. In the South, conspiracy theories ran wild about who had supported the raid, and many believed prominent abolitionist Republicans had been behind the raid as well. Brown's raid has often been considered one of the main precursors to the Civil War. American Legends: The Life of John Brown chronicles the life of the controversial abolitionist, examining his raid and his lasting legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about John Brown like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures of Crawford and important people, places, and scenes. *Includes Crawford's' own quotes about her upbringing, films and relationships. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "I never go outside unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door." - Joan Crawford A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. The life of Joan Crawford is one of the most famous Hollywood rags-to-riches tales. While it is common to think of Hollywood as a land offering great opportunity to hard-working actresses, the Horatio Alger myth rarely applies in reality, but it applied almost perfectly to Joan Crawford. Crawford grew up in relative poverty, with both of her childhood father figures abandoning the family before she became a teenager, and she relied on undying ambition in order to progress through the ranks of the show business circuit and then the Hollywood studio system. This drive to succeed continued throughout her entire career, and Crawford's public battles with both studios (MGM in particular) and other stars (first Norma Shearer and later Bette Davis) were borne out of an unmatched competitive streak. Joan Crawford's life and career also shed light on the treatment of women in pop culture and in cinema during the early 20th century. Her career was not only limited to film acting, as she acted in musical revues and was previously an unabashed flapper during the Roaring Twenties. As her career progressed, she acted in silent films, flourished with the rise of sound cinema in the late 1920s, became a leading lady in the 1930s and 1940s, and finally became a sort of caricature of herself during the late stages of her career in the 1950s and 1960s. Taken together, her filmography comprises roughly 90 films, a career of almost unprecedented scope. Given the length of her career and her range, her career offers one of the most useful examples for tracking the changing way in which women were portrayed on screen from the 1920s-1960s, and it is for this reason that her life story reveals the pressures, pleasures, and expectations of being a Hollywood actress during the first half of the 20th century. After reaching film stardom, Crawford lived a life of glamour, but she was also constantly involved in public jockeying for position within the film industry and never relinquished the desperate need to succeed that helped her get her start decades earlier. Naturally, there was a wide gulf between Joan's unprivileged upbringing and the comfort she enjoyed as an adult; in fact, her rise from poverty to fame seems almost fabricated, as she went from living in a dilapidated apartment adjacent to a laundry room to become one of the wealthiest actresses in Hollywood. At the same time, comparing Joan's childhood with her adult life reveals many similarities. As child and adult, Crawford had contentious interactions with family members, and a large proportion of her familial relationships are characterized by abuse. Moreover, the bold assertion that often got her in trouble as a youth in her strict all-girls school was instrumental in supplying her with the verve to overcome the significant obstacles that face anyone with Hollywood aspirations. Joan's life is proof that no matter how much Hollywood may transform the lifestyle of a famous actress, she likely won't cast aside the influence of her cultural background.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Harlow's quotes about her own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I wasn't born an actress. Events just made me one." - Jean Harlow A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. When the American Film Institute ranked its top 50 screen legends of the 20th century, many of the people named had careers spanning several decades, but one of them managed the feat despite living less than three decades. Ranked as the 22nd greatest actress of the 20th century, Jean Harlow was on the screen for less than 10 years, but in that time the "Blonde Bombshell" became the most popular actress of the 1930s, eclipsing superstars like Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer along the way. In fact, the platinum blonde accomplished that feat as a leading lady for just 5 years before her premature death of renal failure at just 26 years old. Although Harlow is remembered today more for her tragic fate than her career, she was influential well beyond the 1930s. Despite being so young, she managed to craft a persona as a seductive femme fatale that would critically shape how subsequent actresses approached similar roles, and of course, her platinum blonde hair served as a template for future blonde bombshells like Marilyn Monroe, who actually watched Harlow's movies and studied her performances to model her own early career off the dead legend. American Legends: The Life of Jean Harlow examines the short but influential life and career of one of America's first iconic blonde bombshells. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jean Harlow like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Lewis' quotes about his own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I've had great success being a total idiot." - Jerry Lewis A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Jerry Lewis has been in show business for over 7 decades, a multi-talented entertainer known for comedy, acting, singing, and producing and directing films to match. In many ways, his versatility is unprecedented even today, an era in which stars routinely alternate between film and musical careers, and Lewis has enjoyed it, as he once happily noted, "I get paid for what most kids get punished for." He has been paid in several ways, including with too many lifetime awards to count, and he remains a household name today. At the same time, however, Lewis remains best known for his work with Dean Martin, and in that sense, he remains overshadowed by his more famous partner. There's no doubt part of this was due to the stark contrast between their images, as Martin was suave and traditionally masculine while Lewis was a bundle of frantic energy. Although the circumstances that initiated their partnership are unusual and purely coincidental, the natural contrasts between the two ensured a perfect and complementary comedic fit. Working as "Martin and Lewis", the team became the most popular nightclub act in America, commanding huge fees for their appearances all across the country. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of their success is that Dean Martin was not a comedian in any real sense of the word, and even during their act, he essentially served as the straight man to Jerry Lewis. The routine ensured that critics took more notice of Jerry Lewis, who intentionally came across as an awkward figure with a brand of bodily humor that was borrowed from a lineage of Yiddish humor predicated on physical slapstick. And just as Martin benefited from Lewis' comedic skills, Lewis also further developed a singing career thanks to the more famous Martin's crooning. American Legends: The Life of Jerry Lewis profiles the life and career of one of America's most famous entertainers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jerry Lewis like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Mansfield's quotes about her own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I don't know why you people like to compare me to Marilyn or that girl, what's her name, Kim Novak. Cleavage, of course, helped me a lot to get where I am. I don't know how they got there." - Jayne Mansfield A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Although she came of age in an era when Hollywood studios were looking for blonde bombshells like Marilyn Monroe, and she followed that path to instant stardom, Jayne Mansfield had one of the most unique Hollywood careers in the 1950s and 1960s. After getting her start on Broadway, Mansfield shot to fame in Hollywood during the late '50s with her platinum blonde hair and picturesque body, and her life became equal parts movie star and celebrity, with her appearances on film more than matched by her appearances in tabloids and Playboy. Naturally, Mansfield was a rival of Marilyn Monroe who was used by 20th Century Fox to play the same kind of ditzy blonde roles that had made Marilyn one of the biggest stars in America, which had the effect of making her famous but not exactly critically acclaimed. It was an ironic predicament for a woman who had been a Broadway actress, and she struggled to break out of being pigeonholed as a dumb blonde, the kind of stereotype many in her position had struggled with as far back as Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard. No matter how hard she tried, the peak of her career was gone before it had practically started, and by 1960, her parent studio was looking for ways to loan her out rather than use her in its own films. As a result, Mansfield remains famous today more as a pop culture phenom and sex symbol than for her acting career. Of course, one of the other reasons Jayne Mansfield is remembered so vividly today is the grisly nature of her tragic death. Even without movies, Mansfield was constantly in the public eye through various publicity stunts and other special performances, such as a striptease revue, and she was still just 34 years old when she was killed in a car crash. In that accident, Mansfield, her lover, and her driver were all killed in the front when their car rear-ended a truck and slid under it. Thankfully, her children, sitting in the back, suffered only minor injuries. One of her surviving children, Mariska Hargitay, has since gone on to be a well-known actress herself, including a starring role as a detective in Law & Order, Special Victims Unit. American Legends: The Life of Jayne Mansfield examines the notorious life and death of one of America's biggest pop culture stars of the 1950s and 1960s. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jayne Mansfield like never before, in no time at all.

La KGB es una de las abreviaturas m s famosas del siglo XX, y se ha convertido en sin nimo de las tenebrosas y a menudo violentas acciones de la polic a secreta de la Uni n Sovi tica y de las agencias de seguridad interna. De hecho, se utiliza a menudo para referirse a las agencias de seguridad del Estado Sovi tico a lo largo de su historia, desde la creaci n de la Checa (Comisi n Extraordinaria) en 1917 hasta la eliminaci n oficial de la KGB en 1992. Tanto si se relaciona con los excesos de la Guerra Civil rusa, las purgas de Stalin e incluso con Vladimir Putin, la KGB ha sido considerada durante mucho tiempo como el peor ogro del Occidente durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX. La KGB: La historia y el legado de la notoria agencia de espionaje de la Uni n Sovi tica examina la historia de una de las agencias m s famosas de la historia. Adem s de fotos que muestran a personas importantes, lugares y eventos, aprender sobre la KGB como nunca antes.

La larga agon a del "hombre enfermo de Europa", una expresi n utilizada por el Zar de Rusia para describir el imperio en decadencia, podr a casi cegar a la gente sobre su incre ble poder e historia. Preservando su herencia mixta, proveniente tanto de su posici n geogr fica que se elevaba sobre las cenizas del Imperio Bizantino como de la tradici n heredada de las conquistas musulmanas, el Imperio Otomano dur m s de seis siglos. Sus soldados lucharon, murieron y conquistaron tierras en tres continentes diferentes, convirti ndolo en uno de los pocos imperios multi tnicos estables en la historia, y probablemente uno de los ltimos. Durante el per odo que precedi a su colapso, el Imperio Otomano estuvo en el coraz n de una creciente rivalidad entre dos de las potencias globales rivales de la poca, Inglaterra y Francia. Ambas potencias afirmaron su influencia sobre un imperio en declive, cuya historia est anclada tanto en Europa como en Asia. Sin embargo, mientras que las dos potencias fueron instrumentales en la derrota final y el colapso del Imperio Otomano, su postura hacia lo que lleg a conocerse como la "Cuesti n Oriental" - el destino del Imperio Otomano - no es de clara enemistad. Tanto Inglaterra como Francia encontraron, a veces, razones para prolongar la vida del enfermo europeo hasta que finalmente se pusieron de parte de sus enemigos comunes. La postura de Rusia hacia el Imperio Otomano es mucho m s clara; las crecientes potencias asi ticas y europeas vieron a los otomanos como un rival, que se esforzaron por contener, dividir y finalmente destruir durante m s de 300 a os en una serie de guerras contra su viejo adversario. Por ltimo, pero no menos importante, el surgimiento del nacionalismo entre los pueblos bajo dominaci n otomana fue un factor clave en la disoluci n del imperio. A finales del siglo XIX, poco antes de su colapso final, el territorio del Imperio Otomano disminuy debido a la creciente demanda de independencia proveniente de diferentes etnias que gobern durante cientos de a os. La inclusividad del Imperio, que lo marc como sucesor directo del Imperio Bizantino, fue ciertamente desafiada por un viejo liderazgo. La incapacidad del Imperio Otomano para crear una identidad compartida, un Estado central d bil y las crecientes disensiones internas fueron algunos de los principales factores que explicaron su larga desaparici n. Tal fracaso tambi n explica la necesidad de crear una nueva forma de identidad, que en ltima instancia fue provista por Mustaf Kemal, el padre fundador de la Turqu a moderna. La Disoluci n del Imperio Otomano: La Historia y Legado de la Decadencia de los Turcos Otomanos y la Creaci n del Oriente Medio Moderno narra el fin de uno de los imperios m s influyentes de la historia, y las secuelas. Junto con fotos de personas importantes, lugares y eventos, aprender sobre la disoluci n del Imperio Otomano como nunca antes.

*Explains the central issues of the 1850s, including the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, popular sovereignty and the Dred Scott Decision. *Includes pictures of Douglas and other important people, places, and events in his life. *Includes a Bibliography for further reading. "Now, I hold that Illinois had a right to abolish and prohibit slavery as she did, and I hold that Kentucky has the same right to continue and protect slavery that Illinois had to abolish it. I hold that New York had as much right to abolish slavery as Virginia has to continue it, and that each and every State of this Union is a sovereign power, with the right to do as it pleases upon this question of slavery, and upon all its domestic institutions. ... And why can we not adhere to the great principle of self-government, upon which our institutions were originally based." - Stephen Douglas A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. The most famous debates in American history were held over 150 years ago, and today they are remembered and celebrated mostly because they included future President Abraham Lincoln, one of the nation's most revered men. But in the Fall of 1858, Lincoln was just a one-term Congressman who had to all but beg his U. S. Senate opponent to debate him. That's because his opponent, incumbent U. S. Senator Stephen Douglas, was one of the most famous national politicians of the era. Though Douglas is remembered today almost entirely for his association with Lincoln, in 1858 he was "The Little Giant" of American politics and a leader of the Democratic Party. In particular, it was Douglas who had championed the idea of "popular sovereignty", advocating that the settlers of federal territory should vote on whether their state would become a free state or a slave state. When Congress created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska in 1854, it followed this model, and Douglas believed it was a moderate position that would hold the Union together. But many in the North considered popular sovereignty a deliberate attempt to circumvent the Missouri Compromise, which was supposed to have banned slavery in any state above a certain parallel. As a result, the Lincoln-Douglas debates would be almost entirely about issues pertaining to slavery. Douglas would go on to win reelection in 1858, but Lincoln would win the war, literally and figuratively. In the presidential election of 1860, Lincoln would win the Republican nomination and the presidency in large part because Douglas had fractured the national Democratic Party with some of his stated policies during the 1858 debates. When the Democrats ran a Northern Democrat (Douglas) and a Southern Democrat (Breckenridge) in 1860, they split the vote and handed the election to Lincoln. American Legends: The Life of Stephen Douglas profiles the life and politics of the Little Giant, his seminal debates with Lincoln, and his lasting legacy. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Stephen Douglas like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes McQueen's quotes about his own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "I live for myself and I answer to nobody." - Steve McQueen A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In the 1960s and 1970s, no actor personified cool, calm and collected like Steve McQueen, whose suave anti-hero protagonists made men jealous and women swoon. As actor Donald Logue puts it in The Tao of Steve, "Steve is the prototypical cool American male. He's the guy on his horse, the guy alone. He has his own code of honor, his own code of ethics, his own rules of living. He never, ever tries to impress the women, but he always gets the girl." And indeed, that was the case not only in movies like The Thomas Crown Affair, Bullitt, The Getaway, and Papillon, but also in real life. Actress Ali MacGraw, who later became one of his wives, described his effect on women: "I remember seeing him across the swimming pool and my knees were knocking. He radiated such macho energy. Men wanted to be like him. Uptight society ladies and biker molls wanted to be with him." Unlike many actors who become this type of heartthrob, McQueen seemed to have the bona fides. Growing up rough and tough in the Midwest, McQueen was sent to a juvenile facility California because he didn't get along with his stepfather, and after that there he became a Marine. Like Jim Dean before him, McQueen also loved to race, and before he became an actor, he was actually making a living winning races in New York. As he once put it, "Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting." However, McQueen was destined to become "The King of Cool" on screen, and after a few quick stints in acting jobs in the early 1950s, he began to look at it as an actual occupation. He once noted, "I really don't like to act. At the beginning, back in '51, I had to force myself to stick with it. I was real uncomfortable, real uncomfortable." Eventually, McQueen was comfortable enough to simply act natural and thus exude the tough confidence that made him an idol. That kind of performance translated well on the old TV Westerns, and a few of those, Tales of Wells Fargo and Trackdown, catapulted McQueen to the conscience of Hollywood. From there, it would only take a few years and a few movie appearances for McQueen to become a huge box office draw. Sadly, McQueen's life and career were cut short by mesothelioma, a cancer closely associated with asbestos. Though there is still a debate over how McQueen contracted it, it quickly spread throughout his body, and no matter what he did in an attempt to beat it, he couldn't. McQueen died at just 50 years old, when he was still near the height of his acting career. American Legends: The Life of Steve McQueen examines the life and career of one of America's most popular actors during the '60s and '70s. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Steve McQueen like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures of Sitting Bull and important people and places in his life. *Explains the Battle of the Little Bighorn and several Lakota oral legends. *Includes a Table of Contents "When I was a boy the Sioux owned the world. The sun rose and set on their land; they sent ten thousand men to battle. Where are the warriors today? Who slew them? Where are our lands? Who owns them? Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country?" - Sitting Bull A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In 1872, during a fight along the Yellowstone River between U. S. troops protecting railroad workers and Sioux warriors, one of the Sioux did something both unusual and inspiring. At the height of the battle, with bullets whizzing all around him, this warrior sat down, loaded his cannupa (sacred pipe), and began to smoke, partaking in his people's religious sacrament. For the Sioux, smoking a pipe was akin to praying, and the smoke, wafting up through to the heavens, represented those prayers as they floated up to Wakan Tanka, the "god" of the Native Americans who occupied the North American Plains. Wakan Tanka is not the name of their god but rather a description, for the words literally mean "Great Mystery." The Sioux warrior continued smoking until done with his pipe, and after carefully reaming and cleaning out the pipe, he rose to his feet, and rejoined the battle. Of course, it was not that battle which made Sitting Bull one of the most famous Native Americans in American history. Like Geronimo in the Southwest during the same era, Sitting Bull was a warrior who fought in several skirmishes against settlers and U. S. forces across the Plains during the 1860s, and while it is still debated whether he was the "Supreme Chief of the whole Sioux Nation" by 1868, it's clear that he was one of the influential leaders of the Lakota. And when The Great Sioux War of 1876 began, Sitting Bull was recognized as the most important leader among all Native American tribes on the Plains, and the one to turn to for those who intended to keep fighting whites. Sitting Bull ensured he would become a legend at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, during which an estimated 2,000 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors inspired by one of his visions routed and then annihilated the 7th U. S. Cavalry led by George Custer. That disaster led the American government to double down on its efforts to "pacify" the Sioux, and by the end of the decade many of them had surrendered and been moved onto a reservation. Sitting Bull defiantly refused to surrender, instead heading with a smaller band into Canada and remaining exiled. When he finally surrendered to the U. S. in 1881, he was a celebrity of sorts, and Sitting Bull went on to appear in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show during the decade. Not surprisingly, his death was as controversial as his life; in 1890 Sitting Bull was killed on a reservation after plans to arrest him went terribly awry, leading to fighting in the aftermath that left over a dozen dead. American Legends: The Life of Sitting Bull chronicles the amazing life of the Sioux leader who defiantly fought to save his people's homeland, but it also humanizes the man who became one of the most famous Native Americans in American history. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Sitting Bull like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes excerpts from Twelve Years a Slave about Northup's life and experiences. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "Having been born a freeman, and for more than thirty years enjoyed the blessings of liberty in a free State-and having at the end of that time been kidnapped and sold into Slavery, where I remained, until happily rescued in the month of January, 1853, after a bondage of twelve years-it has been suggested that an account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public." - Solomon Northup A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In 2013, the release of the critically acclaimed Twelve Years a Slave once again shined the spotlight on slave narratives, and while his had toiled in relative obscurity since the late 19th century, the movie's depiction of Solomon Northup's slave narrative pushed him front and center yet again. Northup's life was quite unique because he was born a free African-American in the state of New York, and he spent the first 33 years of his life living as a free man there. However, in 1841, he was tricked into traveling to Washington, DC with the promise of employment as a violinist, only to be subsequently sold into slavery and forced to work as a slave on a plantation in Louisiana. For 12 years, he endured the plight of being a slave, so when he gained his freedom in 1853, he was well-positioned to write an account that poignantly described the barbaric system of slavery in the Deep South. Northup's narrative about being a slave for 12 years was popular upon its release in 1853, which coincided with the release of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and it came to have an important place in the slave literature of the antebellum period, where accounts such as Northup's helped opened the eyes of northerners to the experiences of slavery. Perhaps not surprisingly, as was the case with Frederick Douglass' work, Southerners alleged that Northup didn't actually write the book, or that the entire narrative was made up. However, historians by and large have accepted the narrative's authenticity, and they have even relied on Northup's description of certain sites to try to unearth ruins and relics of the past. American Legends: The Life of Solomon Northup examines the life and work of the critical author. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Northup and his plight like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Tracy's quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "Know your lines and don't bump into the furniture." - Spencer Tracy A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Of all the screen legends whose names remain synonymous with Hollywood, few took as long to become a star as Spencer Tracy, who is today recognized as one of the greatest actors ever but whose career did not truly take off until he was already in his mid-30s. After languishing with Fox for 5 years and over two dozen movies, one biographer had summed up his career to that point in time: "Tracy was scarcely a blip on the box office barometer in 1935, a critics' darling and little more." However, after joining MGM in 1935, Tracy catapulted to fame with one of the most impressive runs in Hollywood history, winning Oscars for Best Actor in 1938 and 1939 after already being nominated in 1937. Over the next three decades, Tracy would appear in classics like Captains Courageous and Judgment at Nuremburg, appear in 9 films with Katharine Hepburn, and receive 9 Oscar nominations over a span of 32 years, including for his final film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Several contemporaries considered Tracy the greatest actor of his era, a sentiment summed up by actor Richard Widmark, who once said, "He's the greatest movie actor there ever was... I've learned more about acting from watching Tracy than in any other way." Tracy's career earned him an unbelievable number of accolades, and a place in the American Film Institute's Top 10 actors of the 20th century, but it's also an open question how much more he could have accomplished without a litany of health problems brought on by alcohol. Even as he went years at a time without drinking, the effects gradually wore him down physically, and by his early 60's, he needed full-time care, provided mostly by his most famous co-star and lover, Katharine Hepburn. Ironically, his relationship with Hepburn has actually served to overshadow his own acting career among modern viewers, even as his acting abilities remain universally recognized. American Legends: The Life of Spencer Tracy profiles the life, career, and legacy of the man deemed by the American Film Institute as one of Hollywood's 10 greatest actors. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Spencer Tracy like you never have before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures. *Includes Kubrick's quotes about his life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "When I made my first film, I think the thing was probably helped me the most was that it was such an unusual thing to do in the early 50s for someone who actually go and make a film. People thought it was impossible. It really is terribly easy. All anybody needs is a camera, a tape recorder, and some imagination." - Stanley Kubrick A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. There may be no director in American film history who was better able to combine commercial appeal with art house style like Stanley Kubrick. As his career progressed, his films grew increasingly challenging, with slow, methodical plots that made for running times that spanned upwards of three hours, but no matter how much Kubrick may have broken away from the standard 90-minute Hollywood fare and threatened to alienate his audience, there is no denying the special place his films hold in pop culture. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969), A Clockwork Orange (1972), and The Shining (1982) remain among the more widely-loved films of the latter half of the 20th century among both critics and casual moviegoers alike. As much as Kubrick was able to satisfy the American viewer, his virtuoso camera technique and use of sound place him on par with major international directors of the art house circuit, like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and Michelangelo Antonioni. If Kubrick's films regularly surface on college film curricula, it is not only because they remain culturally relevant but also because they had a formal sophistication that is perhaps unmatched in Hollywood over the past several decades. At first glance, Kubrick's career is almost intimidating; not only did he produce a bevy of films that have been designated as masterpieces, but his career spanned almost 50 years. Despite spanning nearly a half-century, however, Kubrick was not an especially prolific director, and his career is actually quite navigable, because Kubrick only completed 13 feature-length films, in addition to a small collection of short films prior to arriving in Hollywood. Even after reaching the prime of his career, it was not unusual for him to go several years between films, a duration that was integral in order for him to complete the voluminous research and attention to detail that he devoted to each picture. As a result, Kubrick did not have the sort of frenetic, one-film-per-year pace that others like Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, or other such Hollywood giants did, but at the same time, it means each Kubrick film occupies almost its own chapter in his career. American Legends: The Life of Stanley Kubrick examines Kubrick's life and career, taking a close look at the ways in which his family background both informed his later career and stand in contrast with it. Kubrick was a complex figure who retained a mysterious public persona, and given the paucity of his public appearances, one got the sense that Kubrick wished to avoid the public eye altogether. Nevertheless, he remains one of America's foremost master technicians, storytellers, and reclusive geniuses. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Stanley Kubrick like never before, in no time at all.

*Includes pictures *Includes Poitier's quotes about his own life and career *Includes a bibliography for further reading "In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man." - Sidney Poitier "To be compared to Jackie Robinson is an enormous compliment, but I don't think it's necessarily deserved." - Sidney Poitier A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Near the end of the 20th century, the American Film Institute ranked the greatest actors and actresses who worked during the Golden Era of Hollywood and the first half of the 1900s, and Sidney Poitier was ranked 22nd among the men. Given the company he was surrounded by, such a distinction could be considered honor enough, but Poitier also happened to be the only minority on the list, an accomplishment made all the more incredible given the systematic discrimination he faced within the industry and the land where he grew up. Though he spent much of his childhood in the Bahamas, Poitier was born in Miami and was exposed to the effects of Jim Crow at a young age, where he came face-to-face with Jim Crow. With no good educational opportunities, Poitier struggled to even learn how to read as a teen, and after a stint in the Army, it's unclear where his life was headed until he successfully auditioned for a spot in the American Negro Theater, an organization that staged plays during the 1940s and helped groom both Poitier and Harry Belafonte to be actors. Poitier slowly but surely broke into Hollywood during the 1950s, becoming the first black man to be nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Defiant Ones. Naturally, many of Poitier's films dealt with the tensions of integration in America, and as he once noted, he was often "the only black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people." In 1964, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Poitier fittingly became the first black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor thanks to his role in Lilies of the Field, and his best-known movie might be Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, which dealt with interracial relationships at a time when they were still controversial. Today, Poitier is widely considered an American icon who helped break down barriers for minorities in Hollywood, and as a testament to courage and willpower in the face of discrimination off screen. He has been given too many honorary awards to count, and he recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. American Legends: The Life of Sidney Poitier chronicles the life and roles of the iconic actor. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Poitier like never before, in no time at all.