Publisher Description
Arnold J. Toynbee, the most famous professional historian of the twentieth century, is widely quoted as having declared that “History is just one damn thing after another.” This book argues that history is not about “things” at all but is all about turning points—the decisions, acts, innovations, errors, ideas, successes, and failures on which the shape of a nation’s life—our lives—depends. It presents the one hundred points at which America’s path decisively turned on its way to where we find ourselves today.
Columbus arrives in the New World
The first slaves arrive in America
Independence is declared
Female suffragists meet in Seneca Falls
Fort Sumter falls
A transcontinental railroad is completed
Edison lights his first electric lamp
FDR offers a “New Deal”
The B-29 Enola Gay drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
Neil Armstrong sets foot on the moon
President Nixon creates the EPA
9/11, Obama, Sandy Hook, Russian election “meddling,” and the Age of Trump
These and many more are the crucial “plot points” in our grand national story, and bestselling historian Alan Axelrod presents them here.
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About Alan Axelrod
Alan Axelrod is the author of numerous books on history, business, and management. He has been a creative consultant to such television documentaries and series as The Wild West and Civil War Journal for the Discovery Channel. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
About Richard Ferrone
Richard Ferrone recorded over 150 audiobooks including thrillers, romances, science fiction, and inspirational novels. He won the prestigious Audie Award and was a finalist for four Audie Awards, including for Best Solo Male Narrator. He was named an AudioFile "Voice of the Last Century" and a "Rising and Shining Star." He earned many AudioFile Earphones Awards, including being named the 2011 Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense as well as the 2009 Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy. A science fiction fan, he narrated Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy. He also narrated works by James Patterson, Walter Mosley, John Sandford, Eric Van Lustbader, and Stuart Woods.