Topic: World History

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Bestselling books the week of 5/31/12, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
John F. Kennedy: 15 quotes on his birthday

John F. Kennedy was born on May 29th, 1917. To mark what would have been his 95th birthday, here are 15 memorable JFK quotes.
Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
From Willie Horton to windsurfing: Five top political attack ads

Political attacks ads: love 'em or hate 'em, but they’re here to stay, and this election year stands to be a watershed moment in their use. Here's a look at what are considered to be some of the most memorable and effective attack ads utilized over the years.
Bestselling books the week of 5/17/12, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.

All Content

Beyond Obamacare: 5 opinions on health care reform

Health care reform remains a contentious issue in the United States. The Supreme Court will decide this year on President Obama's health care law, known as Obamacare. Meanwhile, Americans spend a higher percentage of GDP on health care than other advanced nations, for care that many argue isn't as good. Here writers explore five key aspects of US health care reform.
Change Agent
She helps save a memory in stone of a 200-year-old forgotten US war

Betty Oderwald has led an effort to restore the Powder House, one of Connecticut's few buildings connected to the War of 1812, now celebrating its bicentennial.
The Paul Ryan 2012 budget: What he learned in 2011

The Paul Ryan 2011 budget sounded like a graduate thesis on statistical steroids. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget is an 80-page campaign commercial.
China's rocky relationship with Hong Kong: 10 key moments

To help understand how China's relationship with Hong Kong has changed through its evolution from British rule to special administrative region, here are 10 key moments:
Catholicism in Latin America: 5 key facts

Pope Benedict XVI began his second trip to Latin America on March 23, with stops in Mexico and Cuba. Here is a brief history of the Catholic church in the Americas.
Decoder Wire
Was Amelia Earhart a US spy? (+video)

The rumor persists that Amelia Earhart was spying on Japan for her good friend, President Franklin Roosevelt. A new expedition to find her downed aircraft may finally put to rest some of the wild theories about the aviatrix.
21 nonfiction books to watch for in spring 2012

This early harvest of spring 2012 titles looks promising.
3 spring novels journey to foreign lands

From China to Australia, Korea to Michigan and other journeys, these novels show protagonists trying to navigate new territory.
Decoder Wire
St. Patrick's Day: Quick, which US president was most Irish?

American presidents often play up their Irish heritage – however distant that may be – to attract votes. But who is the 'most Irish' president? It may not be who you think.
St. Patrick's Day: 10 must-read books about Ireland

10 books about the Emerald Isle for the holiday.
Island of Vice

Teddy Roosevelt takes on New York City: the Rough Rider vs. the Rotten Apple
Reader recommendation: Jubilee

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Life Sentences: Literary Judgments and Accounts

In 'Life Sentences,' author and critic William H. Gass entrances the reader with his lilting prose and skilled literary criticism.
China's leadership shakeup: Bo Xilai and 4 other names to watch

Five names to keep an eye on as China prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership change.
Pi Day: five fun facts about 3.14

March 14, or 3.14, is Pi Day. Get it? Pi Day celebrates all things related to the mathematical constant that measures the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Here are five things you should know about π.
China PM Wen Jiabao says political reform 'urgent'

At the end of China’s ritualistic annual parliament session, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao went further than ever before in urging 'reform of the leadership system of our party and country.'
Horizons
Akira Yoshizawa: The grandfather of modern origami

Akira Yoshizawa, a pioneering origami artist and honoree of Wednesday's Google doodle, would have turned 101 today.
Bestselling books the week of 3/15/12, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
Reader recommendation: A Long Way From Home

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Lessons from the Afghanistan shooting

The Afghanistan shooting of 16 civilians by an American soldier shows the Pentagon must better screen, train, and track its people who fight in war zones.
Reader recommendation: A People’s History of the United States

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
Reagan and Clinton as American idols? Not so fast.

The majority of Americans consider Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton as 'outstanding' or 'above average' among the modern presidents. Pollsters and historians need an edict: Wait 50 years before judging the greatness of presidents and their legacies.
Richard Nixon: The gushy, romantic side of 'Tricky Dick' (+video)

Richard Nixon's love letters to Patricia Ryan showed a romantic young man. The letters from 1938, reveal Nixon, the 37th US president, as idealistic, poetic.
'John Carter': 11 other adaptations of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels

As the movie 'John Carter' arrives in theaters, here are 11 of the most well-known adaptations of other Edgar Rice Burroughs books.
Chapter & Verse
Lincoln's close call with electoral defeat

'Decided on the Battlefield' by David Alan Johnson tells how Abraham Lincoln nearly lost it all.