What Was the San Francisco Earthquake?
What Was?
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
What Was the San Francisco Earthquake?
Buy for $6.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Akaina Ghosh
About this listen
In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake.
One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake - one that registered 7.8 on the Richter scale. Not only was there major damage from the quake itself but broken gas lines sparked a fire that ravaged the city for days. More than 500 city blocks were destroyed, and more than 200,000 people were left homeless. But the city quickly managed to rebuild, rising from the ashes to become the major tourist destination it is today. Here's an exciting recount of an incredible disaster.
©2016 Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler, Who HQ (P)2021 Listening LibraryListeners also enjoyed...
-
Who Was Milton Hershey?
- Who Was...?
- By: James Buckley Jr.
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 32
Discover the man behind the chocolate bar! Milton Hershey’s life was filled with invention and innovation. As a young man, he was not afraid to dream big and work hard. Eventually, he learned the secret to mass-producing milk chocolate and the recipe that gave it a longer, more stable shelf life. He founded a school for those who didn’t have access to a good education and an entire town for his employees. Both his chocolate empire and his great personal legacy live on today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I like it
- By Beverly Tramble on 12-03-22
-
Where Are the Constellations?
- By: Stephanie Sabol, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Jennifer Sun Bell
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Ancient people from many different cultures - Greek, Roman, Mezo-American, Arab - all looked up and imagined pictures in the sky by "drawing" a line from one star to another, like a connect-the-dots puzzle. These star pictures - constellations - represented myths and legends from the various cultures that still fascinate us today.
By: Stephanie Sabol, and others
-
What Do We Know About the Roswell Incident?
- What Do We Know About?
- By: Ben Hubbard, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
In 1947, an unusual object crashed in the New Mexico desert and was recovered by the Roswell Army Airfield officers. People everywhere began to speculate what the object could be. Could it possibly be a flying saucer? Would that be proof of aliens and life beyond Earth? Even decades later, some people still believe that the Roswell Incident is the most famous UFO sighting ever.
By: Ben Hubbard, and others
-
Who Was Celia Cruz?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
Although her family and friends know her as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, the world refers to her simply as Celia Cruz. Starting her career in 1950, Celia grew increasingly popular as the new lead singer of the Cuban band Sonora Matancera. Her exceptional vocal range and flashy costumes made fans fall in love with her.
By: Pam Pollack, and others
-
Where Is the Bermuda Triangle?
- By: Megan Stine, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Lisa Larsen
- Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 21
Even before it was named, the Bermuda Triangle - roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico - had gained a mythic reputation. The Bermuda Triangle became famous for making boats and ships vanish and for snatching planes right out of the sky. But are these stories true? And if they are true, is there a more sensible reason that refutes the bad karma of the region? With so many mystifying events to learn about, readers will love disappearing into this story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting
- By RMy on 11-12-24
By: Megan Stine, and others
-
Who Was Pablo Picasso?
- By: True Kelley
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
Over a long, turbulent life, Picasso continually discovered new ways of seeing the world and translating it into art. A restless genius, he went through a blue period, a rose period, and a Cubist phase. He made collages, sculptures out of everyday objects, and beautiful ceramic plates. True Kelley's engaging biography is a wonderful introduction to modern art.
By: True Kelley
-
Who Was Milton Hershey?
- Who Was...?
- By: James Buckley Jr.
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 32
Discover the man behind the chocolate bar! Milton Hershey’s life was filled with invention and innovation. As a young man, he was not afraid to dream big and work hard. Eventually, he learned the secret to mass-producing milk chocolate and the recipe that gave it a longer, more stable shelf life. He founded a school for those who didn’t have access to a good education and an entire town for his employees. Both his chocolate empire and his great personal legacy live on today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I like it
- By Beverly Tramble on 12-03-22
-
Where Are the Constellations?
- By: Stephanie Sabol, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Jennifer Sun Bell
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
Ancient people from many different cultures - Greek, Roman, Mezo-American, Arab - all looked up and imagined pictures in the sky by "drawing" a line from one star to another, like a connect-the-dots puzzle. These star pictures - constellations - represented myths and legends from the various cultures that still fascinate us today.
By: Stephanie Sabol, and others
-
What Do We Know About the Roswell Incident?
- What Do We Know About?
- By: Ben Hubbard, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
In 1947, an unusual object crashed in the New Mexico desert and was recovered by the Roswell Army Airfield officers. People everywhere began to speculate what the object could be. Could it possibly be a flying saucer? Would that be proof of aliens and life beyond Earth? Even decades later, some people still believe that the Roswell Incident is the most famous UFO sighting ever.
By: Ben Hubbard, and others
-
Who Was Celia Cruz?
- By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
Although her family and friends know her as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, the world refers to her simply as Celia Cruz. Starting her career in 1950, Celia grew increasingly popular as the new lead singer of the Cuban band Sonora Matancera. Her exceptional vocal range and flashy costumes made fans fall in love with her.
By: Pam Pollack, and others
-
Where Is the Bermuda Triangle?
- By: Megan Stine, Who HQ
- Narrated by: Lisa Larsen
- Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 21
Even before it was named, the Bermuda Triangle - roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico - had gained a mythic reputation. The Bermuda Triangle became famous for making boats and ships vanish and for snatching planes right out of the sky. But are these stories true? And if they are true, is there a more sensible reason that refutes the bad karma of the region? With so many mystifying events to learn about, readers will love disappearing into this story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting
- By RMy on 11-12-24
By: Megan Stine, and others
-
Who Was Pablo Picasso?
- By: True Kelley
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
Over a long, turbulent life, Picasso continually discovered new ways of seeing the world and translating it into art. A restless genius, he went through a blue period, a rose period, and a Cubist phase. He made collages, sculptures out of everyday objects, and beautiful ceramic plates. True Kelley's engaging biography is a wonderful introduction to modern art.
By: True Kelley
-
Who Was Abraham Lincoln?
- By: Janet Pascal
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
Born to a family of farmers, Lincoln stood out from an early age - literally! (He was six feet four inches tall.) As 16th president of the United States, he guided the nation through the Civil War and saw the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln was tragically shot one night at Ford’s Theater - the first president to be assassinated.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
That I didn’t know many details about Lincoln
- By Barbara I Larrivee on 02-11-24
By: Janet Pascal
-
Who Was Amelia Earhart?
- By: Kate Boehm Jerome
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
Amelia Earhart was a woman of many "firsts." In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1935, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific. From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance while attempting a flight around the world, listeners will find Amelia Earhart's life a fascinating story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Who was Amelia
- By A. M. on 04-13-23
-
Who Was Lucille Ball?
- By: Pamela D. Pollack, Meg Belviso
- Narrated by: Tara Sands
- Length: 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Much like her hit TV show, I Love Lucy, Americans in the 1950s fell in love with Lucy. Born in New York in 1911, Lucille Ball was always a natural performer. She danced in the chorus of Broadway shows and acted in small parts in Hollywood movies. But Ball's true gift was comedy. She found a way to showcase her gifts in 1951 when CBS gave her the chance to star in a sitcom.
By: Pamela D. Pollack, and others
-
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
- By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th US president fought - and won - his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation's youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in our Who Was...? series.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Quick excerpt of JFK
- By Hans Kennedy on 12-23-19
-
Who Was Anne Frank?
- By: Ann Abramson
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her and her family into hiding. Who Was Anne Frank? looks closely at Anne’s life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My thoughts
- By Melina on 01-19-22
By: Ann Abramson
-
Who Was Marie Curie?
- Who Was...?
- By: Megan Stine
- Narrated by: Sarah Scott
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together, they discovered two elements and won a Nobel Prize in 1903. (Later, Marie won another Nobel award for chemistry in 1911.)
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
wonderful series for children and tweens
- By EmilyK on 07-21-17
By: Megan Stine
-
Who Was Walt Disney?
- Who Was...?
- By: Whitney Stewart
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 136
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
Walt Disney always loved to entertain people. Often it got him into trouble. Once he painted pictures with tar on the side of his family's white house. His family was poor, and the happiest time of his childhood was spent living on a farm in Missouri. His affection for small-town life is reflected in Disneyland Main Streets around the world. This biography reveals the man behind the magic.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Everything.
- By Carol Haight on 08-02-24
By: Whitney Stewart
-
Who Was William Shakespeare?
- By: Celeste Mannis
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
The beloved plays of Shakespeare are still produced everywhere, yet the life of the world's most famous playwright remains largely a mystery. Young Will left the town of Stratford to pursue theater in London, where his work eventually thrived and made him a famous and wealthy man. Celeste Davidson Mannis here puts together the pieces of Shakespeare's life and work for young listeners.
By: Celeste Mannis
-
Who Was Helen Keller?
- By: Gare Thompson
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
At age two, Helen Keller became deaf and blind. She lived in a world of silence and darkness and she spent the rest of her life struggling to break through it. But with the help of teacher Annie Sullivan, Helen learned to read, write, and do many amazing things. This inspiring biography is perfect for young middle-grade listeners.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
it suck butt
- By Kendra Maas on 05-20-21
By: Gare Thompson
-
Who Was Thomas Alva Edison?
- By: Margaret Frith
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
One day in 1882, Thomas Edison flipped a switch that lit up lower Manhattan with incandescent light and changed the way people live ever after. The electric light bulb was only one of thousands of Edison’s inventions, which include the phonograph and the kinetoscope, an early precursor to the movie camera. As a boy, observing a robin catch a worm and then take flight, he fed a playmate a mixture of worms and water to see if she could fly! An accessible, appealing biography of the inventor.
By: Margaret Frith
-
The Johnstown Flood
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,150
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,290
At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A page-turner! HIstory that reads like a novel
- By Susan K Donley on 06-17-05
By: David McCullough
-
Hiroshima
- By: John Hersey
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 988
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 855
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 859
A journalistic masterpiece. John Hersey transports us back to the streets of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 - the day the city was destroyed by the first atomic bomb. Told through the memories of six survivors, Hiroshima is a timeless, powerful classic that will awaken your heart and your compassion. In this new edition, Hersey returns to Hiroshima to find the survivors - and to tell their fates in an eloquent and moving final chapter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hiroshima, the days and years that followed
- By Julia on 04-15-15
By: John Hersey
Related to this topic
-
Washed Away
- How the Great Flood of 1913, America’s Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed It Forever
- By: Geoff Williams
- Narrated by: Jim Vann
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
The incredible story of a flood of near-Biblical proportions - its destruction, its heroes and victims, and how it shaped America’s natural-disaster policies for the next century. The storm began March 23, 1913, with a series of tornadoes that killed 150 people and injured 400. Then the freezing rains started and the flooding began. It was the nation’s most widespread flood ever - more than 700 people died, hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, and millions were left homeless.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I love these historical narratives
- By Kim Hamacher on 07-28-15
By: Geoff Williams
-
Chicago's Great Fire
- The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City
- By: Carl Smith
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
From an acclaimed historian, the full and authoritative story of one of the most iconic disasters in American history, told through the vivid memories of those who experienced it. Carl Smith’s compelling narrative at last gives this epic event its full and proper place in our national chronicle.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A good read
- By Lori on 11-23-24
By: Carl Smith
-
The Johnstown Flood
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,150
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,290
At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A page-turner! HIstory that reads like a novel
- By Susan K Donley on 06-17-05
By: David McCullough
-
The Great Fire
- By: Jim Murphy
- Narrated by: Taylor Mali
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 173
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history - with damage so profound that few people believed the city could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow. I didn't know that!
- By DonnaMarie113 on 02-17-22
By: Jim Murphy
-
The Storm of the Century
- Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America's Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900
- By: Al Roker, William Hogeland
- Narrated by: Byron Wagner
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 165
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 165
On the afternoon of September 8, 1900, 200-mile-per-hour winds and 15-foot waves slammed into Galveston, the prosperous and growing port city on Texas' Gulf Coast. By dawn the next day, when the storm had passed, the city that had existed just hours before was gone. Shattered, grief-stricken survivors emerged to witness a level of destruction never before seen: 8,000 corpses littered the streets and were buried under the massive wreckage.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Review of "The Storm of the Century "
- By S. Noe on 09-04-15
By: Al Roker, and others
-
Ruthless Tide
- The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
- By: Al Roker
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
A gripping narrative history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood - the deadliest flood in US history - from New York Times best-selling author, NBC host, and legendary weather authority Al Roker. May 1889: After a deluge of rainfall swelled the Little Conemaugh River, panicked engineers watched helplessly as swiftly rising waters threatened to breach the South Fork Dam in central Pennsylvania. Though they telegraphed neighboring towns, warning of the impending danger, residents, used to false alarms, remained in their homes. At 3:10 p.m., the dam gave way....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Mispronunciation bothers me
- By Tracy on 09-08-18
By: Al Roker
-
Washed Away
- How the Great Flood of 1913, America’s Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized a Nation and Changed It Forever
- By: Geoff Williams
- Narrated by: Jim Vann
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 46
The incredible story of a flood of near-Biblical proportions - its destruction, its heroes and victims, and how it shaped America’s natural-disaster policies for the next century. The storm began March 23, 1913, with a series of tornadoes that killed 150 people and injured 400. Then the freezing rains started and the flooding began. It was the nation’s most widespread flood ever - more than 700 people died, hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, and millions were left homeless.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I love these historical narratives
- By Kim Hamacher on 07-28-15
By: Geoff Williams
-
Chicago's Great Fire
- The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City
- By: Carl Smith
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
From an acclaimed historian, the full and authoritative story of one of the most iconic disasters in American history, told through the vivid memories of those who experienced it. Carl Smith’s compelling narrative at last gives this epic event its full and proper place in our national chronicle.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A good read
- By Lori on 11-23-24
By: Carl Smith
-
The Johnstown Flood
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,150
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,290
At the end of the last century, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a booming coal-and-steel town filled with hardworking families striving for a piece of the nation's burgeoning industrial prosperity. In the mountains above Johnstown, an old earth dam had been hastily rebuilt to create a lake for an exclusive summer resort patronized by the tycoons of that same industrial prosperity, among them Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and Andrew Mellon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A page-turner! HIstory that reads like a novel
- By Susan K Donley on 06-17-05
By: David McCullough
-
The Great Fire
- By: Jim Murphy
- Narrated by: Taylor Mali
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 173
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 139
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
The Great Fire of 1871 was one of the most colossal disasters in American history - with damage so profound that few people believed the city could ever rise again. By weaving personal accounts of actual survivors together with careful research, Jim Murphy constructs a riveting and dramatic narrative, ultimately revealing how the human spirit triumphed even in a time of deepest despair and the people of Chicago found the courage and strength to build their city once again.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow. I didn't know that!
- By DonnaMarie113 on 02-17-22
By: Jim Murphy
-
The Storm of the Century
- Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America's Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900
- By: Al Roker, William Hogeland
- Narrated by: Byron Wagner
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 165
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 165
On the afternoon of September 8, 1900, 200-mile-per-hour winds and 15-foot waves slammed into Galveston, the prosperous and growing port city on Texas' Gulf Coast. By dawn the next day, when the storm had passed, the city that had existed just hours before was gone. Shattered, grief-stricken survivors emerged to witness a level of destruction never before seen: 8,000 corpses littered the streets and were buried under the massive wreckage.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Review of "The Storm of the Century "
- By S. Noe on 09-04-15
By: Al Roker, and others
-
Ruthless Tide
- The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster
- By: Al Roker
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 71
A gripping narrative history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood - the deadliest flood in US history - from New York Times best-selling author, NBC host, and legendary weather authority Al Roker. May 1889: After a deluge of rainfall swelled the Little Conemaugh River, panicked engineers watched helplessly as swiftly rising waters threatened to breach the South Fork Dam in central Pennsylvania. Though they telegraphed neighboring towns, warning of the impending danger, residents, used to false alarms, remained in their homes. At 3:10 p.m., the dam gave way....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Mispronunciation bothers me
- By Tracy on 09-08-18
By: Al Roker
-
This Is Chance!
- The Shaking of an All-American City, a Voice That Held It Together
- By: Jon Mooallem
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 175
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 146
In the spring of 1964, Anchorage, Alaska, was a modern-day frontier town yearning to be a metropolis - the largest, proudest city in a state that was still brand-new. But just before sundown on Good Friday, the community was jolted by the most powerful earthquake in American history, a catastrophic 9.2 on the Richter Scale. This Is Chance! is the thrilling, cinematic story of a community shattered by disaster - and the extraordinary woman who helped pull it back together.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
amazing story
- By Dani L on 02-07-21
By: Jon Mooallem
-
The Great Halifax Explosion
- A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism
- By: John U. Bacon
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 358
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 320
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 319
From best-selling author John U. Bacon, a gripping narrative history of the largest manmade detonation prior to Hiroshima. On Monday, December 3, 1917, the French freighter SS Mont-Blanc set sail from Brooklyn carrying the largest cache of explosives ever loaded onto a ship, including 2,300 tons of picric acid, an unstable, poisonous chemical more powerful than TNT.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too much hostility towards Americans
- By bigdaddyKT on 12-14-19
By: John U. Bacon
-
The Galveston Hurricane of 1900
- The Deadliest Natural Disaster in American History
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Steve Rausch
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
The hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900, killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. Prior to advanced communications, few people knew about impending hurricanes except those closest to the site. In the days before television or even radio, catastrophic descriptions were merely recorded on paper, limiting our understanding of the immediate impact. Thus it was inevitable that the category 4 hurricane would cause almost inconceivable destruction.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Hurricane
- By scott massey on 06-14-24
-
A Crack in the Edge of the World
- America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 587
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 330
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 326
San Francisco Earthquake that leveled a city symbolic of America's relentless western expansion. Simon Winchester has also fashioned an enthralling and informative informative look at the tumultuous subterranean world that produces earthquakes, the planet's most sudden and destructive force. In the early morning hours of April 18, 1906, San Francisco and a string of towns to its north-northwest and the south-southeast were overcome by an enormous shaking that was compounded by the violent shocks of an earthquake, registering 8.25 on the Richter scale.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
7 Hours and 45 minutes . . .
- By Tim on 12-09-05
By: Simon Winchester
-
Downtown
- My Manhattan
- By: Pete Hamill
- Narrated by: Pete Hamill
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
In Downtown, Hamill leads us on an unforgettable journey through the city he loves, from the island's southern tip to 42nd Street, combining a moving memoir of his days and nights in New York with a passionate history of its most enduring places and people.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
A frustrating read
- By David Ross on 09-09-05
By: Pete Hamill
-
The Race Underground
- Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway
- By: Doug Most
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 155
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 138
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 137
In the late nineteenth century, as cities like Boston and New York grew larger, the streets became increasingly clogged with horse-drawn carts. When the great blizzard of 1888 brought New York City to a halt, a solution had to be found. Two brothers - Henry Melville Whitney of Boston and William Collins Whitney of New York City - pursued the dream of his city being the first American metropolis to have a subway and the great race was on.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Informative Cobbled Telling of an Important Story
- By Lynn on 05-21-14
By: Doug Most
-
A Russian Journal
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 206
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 184
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 183
Steinbeck and Capa's account of their journey through Cold War Russia is a classic piece of reportage and travel writing.Just after the Iron Curtain fell on Eastern Europe, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck and acclaimed war photographer Robert Capa ventured into the Soviet Union to report for the New York Herald Tribune.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Extremely Interesting
- By Jean on 12-04-14
By: John Steinbeck
-
Broadway
- A History of New York City in Thirteen Miles
- By: Fran Leadon
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 55
Broadway takes us on a mile-by-mile journey that traces the gradual evolution of the 17th century's Brede Wegh, a muddy cow path in a backwater Dutch settlement, to the 20th century's Great White Way. We learn why one side of the street was once considered more fashionable than the other; witness construction of the Ansonia Apartments, Trinity Church, and the Flatiron Building and the burning of P. T. Barnum's American Museum; and discover that Columbia University was built on the site of an insane asylum.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Give My Regards To Broadway!
- By Steven on 08-20-18
By: Fran Leadon
-
The Peshtigo Fire of 1871
- A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Wildfire in the History of the United States of America That Occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
It’s likely true that most people picking up this book have never even heard of a place called Peshtigo. This is hardly surprising. This little town on the shores of Lake Michigan is hardly a remarkable place in the modern day. Its residents number less than 4,000, and there’s nothing particularly special about it at first glance. But one does have to look twice at its motto. “A city rebuilt from the ashes.” Peshtigo may be just another small Wisconsin town today, but 150 years ago, it really was nothing but ashes.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great story...even with the usual America bashing
- By Pat Newell on 07-12-21
-
Hiroshima
- By: John Hersey
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 988
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 855
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 859
A journalistic masterpiece. John Hersey transports us back to the streets of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 - the day the city was destroyed by the first atomic bomb. Told through the memories of six survivors, Hiroshima is a timeless, powerful classic that will awaken your heart and your compassion. In this new edition, Hersey returns to Hiroshima to find the survivors - and to tell their fates in an eloquent and moving final chapter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Hiroshima, the days and years that followed
- By Julia on 04-15-15
By: John Hersey
-
Storm of the Century
- The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935
- By: Willie Drye
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
In 1934, hundreds of jobless World War I veterans were sent to the remote Florida Keys to build a highway from Miami to Key West. The Roosevelt Administration was making a genuine effort to help these down-and-out vets. But the attempt to help them turned into a tragedy. The supervisors in charge of the veterans misunderstood the danger posed by hurricanes in the low-lying Florida Keys. The hurricane that struck the Upper Florida Keys on the evening of September 2, 1935, is still the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in the US.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Better than I expected
- By Jennifer Camp on 07-23-24
By: Willie Drye
-
The Big Burn
- Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America
- By: Timothy Egan
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 172
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 153
In The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan put the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl at the center of a rich history, told through characters he brought to indelible life. Now he performs the same alchemy with the Big Burn, the largest-ever forest fire in America and the tragedy that cemented Teddy Roosevelt's legacy in the land.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Mediocre
- By Mona on 11-04-20
By: Timothy Egan