Showing results by narrator "J. A. Smith" in All Categories

James Brown is known as the “Godfather of Soul”—and for good reason. All you have to do is listen to that signature James Brown sound, and you understand the impact he made on music. Just one lip curl and Elvis was sent running. Just one “Hey! Hey! Hey!” and Michael Jackson was inspired. It seems that James Brown’s every move has somehow made an impact on the world of music.

At one point, the Japanese Empire was one of the largest the world had ever seen, governing almost 20 percent of the total population of the Earth. One of the most striking features of this empire was the rapidity with which it grew. In 1870, Japan was a largely agrarian nation with a culture and society based on feudal values.

In the 1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretly planned, supported, and funded two coups: one in Guatemala and one in Iran. This was the height of the Cold War, and both deposed governments were suspected of leaning to the left and favoring closer ties with the Soviet Union, while the regimes that replaced them were more inclined to look favorably on the United States.

The region known as Apacheria had been fought over for centuries, firstly with the arrival of the Apache from the north, then later with the arrival of the Spanish, and, finally, the United States. Events came to a bloody climax in the 1800s in a series of conflicts, which became known as the Apache Wars.

Saran and Keleir are elemental mages bound by love and sorcery: one destined to rule a kingdom, the other to destroy it. Five years ago, Saran reached into Keleir Ahriman's heart and imprisoned the demon within him, tying her soul to his. Together, they've conspired against Saran's father—a fanatical king who worships the world-ending demon inside Keleir, a being known as the Vel d'Ekaru. When Saran risks everything to save a village of innocent people, the king rips her magic away, splintering the wall she built around Keleir's heart.

In terms of world history, the year 1815 is mainly remembered for the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. But something else happened that year which is now largely forgotten but which had a fundamental impact on the whole world in the years that followed. In April 1815, a volcano erupted on the island of Sumbawa in present-day Indonesia. The eruption itself was so powerful that it was audible thousands of miles away.

Jefferson Davis - was he a rebel for a bad cause, or just a greatly misunderstood man? Davis was certainly lambasted as the ultimate evil during the American Civil War since he was the leading statesman of the Southern Confederacy. But what do we really know about Jefferson Davis? What motivated him and what made him tick? What inspired him to lead a cause that very nearly ripped the United States asunder? Davis was a statesman and politician for sure, but he was also a soldier, a husband, and a father.

Known as one of the deadliest battles in history with its over one million casualties, the Battle of the Somme in 1916 is regarded by many as the ultimate war of attrition. Intended to bring about a swift end to the First World War, the British planned a grueling five-day bombardment of German forces, only to be thwarted at seemingly every turn. Bad weather, poor communication, inferior planning, hubris, and even betrayal led to the Battle of the Somme lasting longer than anyone had anticipated.

The Italian Wars refers to a period of prolonged conflict between 1494 and 1559 when the major European powers of the time fought for control over Italy. While it began with a French attempt to gain control over the territory of Naples, it soon expanded to a general struggle between the royal houses of Valois and Habsburg - specifically, Francis I of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The Italian Wars represented a change in warfare tactics from the contract armies common in the Medieval period to full-time standing armies common in the modern era.

The Battle of Jutland, fought near Denmark’s Jutland peninsula in 1916, was unique in the first World War as the only major battle to be fought at sea. In this audiobook, you will hear about these battles, the personalities of the men involved, the planning, and the skirmishes that finally led to the confusion and devastating loss of life at the Battle of Jutland.

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

Little Richard was an incredible performer and musical pioneer who revolutionized music for generations to come. For just about anyone else, such words might sound like hyperbole, but for Little Richard, it’s the pure and simple truth. Little Richard, with his jumpy driving sound and innovative vocalizations, certainly earned his title as the “Architect of Rock and Roll.”

Spencer Tracy was a man who truly immersed himself in his craft. Ever since he was a boy, he dreamed of making his way to the big screen to play larger-than-life roles, and he didn’t stop until he made that dream a reality. Tracy brought a whole string of box office hits to the Golden Age of Film; still, his life wasn’t perfect. The actor struggled with alcohol addiction, and due to infidelity, his marriage at home would be strained. After separating from his wife, he kept in place a long-term relationship with actress Katharine Hepburn until the day he died.

Walt Whitman was the first incarnation of the great American poet. A humble, unsuspecting figure who managed to capture America’s soul, Whitman came to prominence in the Civil War era of the 1860s and continued to grow as an artist as his nation grew along with him. In this book, we will discover the tragedies and triumphs of a man who had an extraordinary way with words and has become known as the father of free verse: Walt Whitman.

The Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan and continued by his heirs, was one of the largest and most powerful the world has ever seen. Modern China was created from the remnants of the Mongol Empire, and at its peak, this empire controlled one-sixth of the total landmass of the world. Even today, it is estimated that one in every 200 people in the world carries the DNA of Genghis Khan. The world would never be quite the same after the relatively brief reign of Genghis Khan, his children, and grandchildren.

The State of Israel was founded in conflict, and in the first ten years of its existence, it was involved in two major wars with its Arab neighbors. The First Arab-Israeli War began almost the moment that the new state was announced in May 1948. Although it barely had time to create armed forces, somehow Israel survived a simultaneous invasion by armies from four Arab states during that conflict. In 1956, Israel found itself at war again, this time fighting alongside Britain and France, who had launched an invasion of Egypt after fears that the Suez Canal might be closed.

From the late eighth century to somewhere around the middle of the 11th century, the history of Europe was dominated by the people who have become known as the Vikings. The Vikings were among the first global explorers who established territory that stretched from North America in the west to Constantinople in the east, and from the frigid wastes of the Arctic in the north to the warm shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the south.

Skullenia seems to be the last place that would need a detective agency. At least, that is what Ollie thinks until Count Jocular commissions him to help resolve a series of unexplained disappearances. But, has Ollie bitten off more than he can chew? With the help of his motley crew and some quite frankly ridiculous characters, he attempts to solve this perplexing mystery.

Buddy Holly, born in Lubbock, Texas, was the unassuming yet powerful voice of a generation, singing songs that would become standards of the emerging rock and roll genre in America. From his teenage years, Holly rode high on both his love for music and the pure enthusiasm of his fans. He secured a record deal in the mid-1950s, and soon the whole world would be jamming to his tunes, grooving to hits such as “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggie Sue”. He was a legend then, and his life—as well as his music—still manages to speak to us today.

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