HistoryAuthorShow

There has been no more noble fight in all of history than the one guaranteeing equal rights for formerly enslaved people. So how did America forget the Black congressman and a Civil War veteran president to ensure that all those Union soldiers hadn't died in vain -- and more importantly, that the words on those Reconstruction Era amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing rights to the freedmen, weren't just ink on the page, laughed at by marauding lynch mobs? In this episode, we meet this overlooked odd couple with Benjamin R. Justesen who brings us Forgotten Legacy: William McKinley, George Henry White, and the Struggle for Black Equality. Justesen writes, "William McKinley's role as a sincere friend and benefactor of African-Americans may be one of the best-kept secrets in American political history." He also introduces us to the inspiring Congressman White, whose skill as an orator -- and later as the founder of Whitesboro, New Jersey -- is the stuff of legend. Ben Justesen is a former journalist, teacher, and U.S. Foreign Service Officer whose previous book is George Henry White: An Even Chance in the Race of Life. https://historyauthor.com/benjamin-r-justesen-forgotten-legacy-william-mckinley-george-henry-white-and-the-struggle-for-black-equality/

The U.S. Navy builds modern marvels: 100,000-ton hunks of metal that glide across the ocean rather than sinking like rocks. But how do they do it? The short answer is "computers." But it was Raye Montague who first designed a ship with that technology, doing so as a single mother during the height of the Cold War, and as a Black woman born into the segregated Little Rock of 1935. She literally let nothing stand in her way. We meet this inspirational trailblazer in Overnight Code: The Life of Raye Montague, the Woman Who Revolutionized Naval Engineering thanks Raye's son, David R. Montague, and his co-author, Paige Bowers, who previously stopped by to chat about her debut book The General's Niece: The Little-Known de Gaulle Who Fought to Free Occupied France. You can enjoy that conversation in our archives wherever you're listening now. Paige Bowers holds a master’s degree in modern European history and taught about French history and culture at Louisiana State University. David R. Montague earned a Ph.D. at Howard University and a BA at Morehouse College, both in Political Science, as well as an MA in Crime and Commerce at George Washington. He's the director of online learning and faculty mentoring at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. https://historyauthor.com/paige-bowers-david-montague-overnight-code-the-life-of-raye-montague/

If you don't know the name Marion Miley, then prepare to meet someone you'll never forget. The young golfer had it all: brains, power, beauty, and a winning personality. It seemed only a matter of time before this 27-year-old phenom earned immortality on the links with a national championship. But fate had other plans. Three burglars cut Marion's life short in a botched robbery, just weeks before Pearl Harbor plunged the nation into war. With a war to fight and millions being killed, the death of even a beloved athlete quickly fell from the world's thoughts. Beverly Bell returns Marion Miley to her rightful spot as an inspiration in her meticulously researched novel about the forgotten tragedy, The Murder of Marion Miley -- a finalist for the 2020 U.S. Golf Association Herbert Warren Wind Book Award, the highest literary honor given by the USGA. It describes in vivid detail the young athlete who enchanted fans in Lexington, Kentucky, and the world over, who desperately needed some good news amid the troubles of the Great Depression. The book explores not just Marion's death, but the manhunt and trial to bring her killers to justice. Beverly Bell is an award-winning magazine and crime writer. Visit her at BeverlyKBell.com. https://historyauthor.com/beverly-bell-the-murder-of-marion-miley/

What happens when a legendary historian aims his keen eye in the rearview mirror, examining the places, people, and experiences that made him a great storyteller? Well, when the historian is David Pietrusza, the answer is the rich, funny and poignant memoir Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory. A Vanished World. Before returning us to the Amsterdam, NY, of Upstate New York in the 1950s and '60s, David Pietrusza wrote or edited a treasure trove of books and has appeared everywhere from C-SPAN and the History Channel, to ESPN and Fox Sports Channel, as well as too many fine radio shows to list. He is also featured on AMC's Making of the Mob: New York. It's easy to see why he's been called "one of the great political historians of all time." David Pietrusza has sat down with me to discuss four of his previous books, interviews which you can find in our archives or below. They are: • TR's Last War: Theodore Roosevelt, the Great War, and a Journey of Triumph and Tragedy • Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series • 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents • 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR ― Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny For more, visit @DPietrusza on Twitter or DavidPietrusza.com. https://historyauthor.com/david-pietrusza-too-long-ago-a-childhood-memory-a-vanished-world/

When George Washington accepted the responsibility of being the first president of a new nation, he felt the weight of history on his broad shoulders, knowing that every step he took, would set precedents for generations. So, how did he pick a team of advisers to keep his path straight on the long march to nationhood? We explore how he pioneered the presidential cabinet with Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky. She's a historian of Early America, the presidency, and government who brings us The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution. Lindsay Chervinsky is Scholar in Residence at the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College, Senior Fellow at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, and Professorial Lecturer at the School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University. She earned her Ph.D. in history from UC Davis. Find her at LindsayChervinsky.com, or on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where you can also find the page for QuincyTheHistoryHound. https://historyauthor.com/lindsay-m-chervinsky-the-cabinet/

In 2017, Sports Illustrated named Mike “Doc” Emrick the greatest sportscaster of all time. But how did a kid from a tiny town in the American Midwest, grow up to be a voice synonymous with Canada’s game, the first media member inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, a TV heavyweight, and the winner of eight Sports Emmys? How did Doc sound just as excited about the 10,000th goal he saw, as he did when he was a boy in the 1950s, watching the Fort Wayne Komets put the biscuit in the net for the very first time? We get those insights in his memoir, Off Mike: How a Kid from Basketball-Crazy Indiana Became America’s NHL Voice. In a career that spanned 47 years, Doc had stops everywhere from ESPN and CBS, to Fox, SportsChannel, MSG, NBC, and beyond. He survived prostate cancer along the way, and spent 5,000 nights away from his beloved wife, Joyce. They’ve certainly earned their retirement. The Emrick’s are also lovers of all creatures great and small. In fact, Doc is donating proceeds from sales of Off Mike to animal charities. The History Author Show will be dropping the gloves to fight for animals in need alongside Doc and Joyce. Amazon gives us a portion of every book you purchase through their links on this page. We’ll be matching triple that amount times three and donating to pets in need. So if you’re thinking of picking up a copy of this inspiring, entertaining memoir, please consider doing it through us. https://historyauthor.com/mike-doc-emrick-off-mike-how-a-kid-from-basketball-crazy-indiana-became-americas-nhl-voice/