Showing results by author "A. Rivers" in All Categories

Modern-day Lithuania is a small country bordering the Baltic Sea with a population of less than three million people, but despite its relative size, the nation has exerted an influential role on the history of the region. More recently, in the 20th century, Lithuania was caught between much larger powers in two world wars and then the Cold War. Along with neighbors Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania was one of the only states to truly break free of the Soviet Union when the latter dissolved in 1991.

The Albigensian Crusade: The History and Legacy of the Catholic Campaign Against the Cathars in France examines the origins of Catharism, the conflicts with Catholicism, and the fighting that led to Cathars being stamped out across France.

For as long as language and communication have existed, humans have invented ways to mask their messages from prying eyes. One could be forgiven for assuming there are no ciphers left unsolved. On the contrary, a diverse array of both ancient and modern cryptographic challenges, which have stumped even the most seasoned code crackers of today, exist, and may exist for generations to come. Among the most famous of these memorandums is a 600-year-old document that continues to mystify: the Voynich Manuscript.

Naples: The History and Legacy of the Prominent Italian City-State from Antiquity to Today dives into the city's origin story, how it became one of the most important places in Europe, and its winding history. You will learn about Naples like never before.

In 1980, the United States suffered the deadliest and most destructive volcanic eruption in its history when Mount St. Helens literally blew its lid off, the result of seismic activity during the eruption. What made the eruption all the more remarkable was that a fair amount of preparations had gone into anticipating it, after an earthquake in the area a few months earlier alerted federal geologists to the possibility of activity there. In fact, Mount St. Helens had been the cause of the earthquake itself, the result of its own lava flows under the surface.

While Waco remains notorious more for the federal agents’ siege of David Koresh’s compound and the deaths of the Branch Davidians, it was followed a few years later by a mass suicide carried out by one of the most notorious doomsday cults in American history. On paper, the extraordinarily unorthodox ideology spouted by Heaven's Gate ranks near the top of the list of most outlandish end-of-the-world prophecies, and it was built on a blend of Christian, Gnostic, supernatural, New Age, and extraterrestrial lore.

The Third Reich's Luftwaffe began World War II with significant advantages over other European air forces, playing a critical role in the German war machine's swift, powerful advance. By war's end, however, the Luftwaffe had been decimated by combat losses and crippled by poor decisions at the highest levels of military decision-making, and it proved unable to challenge Allied air superiority despite a last-minute upsurge in German aircraft production.

This easy-to-follow guide will help you rewire your brain to break free from alcohol, making sobriety feel natural—without the struggle.

Five years ago, on Christmas night, a billionaire magnate, EB Ward lost his wife and children in a terrible house fire. Since then he has become known as the town’s Scrooge. And when his brother is killed in a tragic accident, EB is racked with guilt and pushed into further grief.

Nearly 20 years before Jamestown was settled, the English established one of the earliest colonies in North America. Like other early settlements, Roanoke struggled to survive in its infancy. The colony's leader, John White, sailed back to England in 1587 to bring more supplies and help. What White found when he came back to Roanoke led to one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. Despite the fact he left over 100 people in Roanoke in 1587, White returned to literally nothing, with all traces of the settlement gone and no evidence of fighting.

Eine düstere, moderne und romantische Neuerzählung des Musicalklassikers Phantom der Oper. Aber diesmal wird der Mann hinter der Maske nicht aufhören, bis sie ihm gehört. Sie ist meine Muse, und ich bin ihr musikalischer Dämon. Vor einem Jahr wurde ich Zeuge der dunklen Seite der süßen Scarlett Day. Seither ist sie meine Obsession. Ich war zufrieden damit, ihr Geheimnis zu sein. Zufrieden damit, sie aus der Ferne zu beschützen. Bis ein Feind aus meiner Vergangenheit sie ins Visier nahm. Unsere Familien verbindet eine tiefe Geschichte des Hasses und Scarlet steckt mittendrin.

People have always been afraid of the dead. Since the dawn of humanity, people have both cared for those who are deceased yet also tried to keep them away. There are a myriad of legends and beliefs about the dead coming back, and one of the more persistent ones is of the vampire.

When a group of friends arrive at their remote Lake House rental, all is seemingly serene. But when one friend turns up missing and another is found dead. The group’s getaway takes the most horrifying turn. And by the time FBI Agent Ava James arrives on the case, a gruesome and traumatizing scene is the only remnants of the once perfectly planned getaway.

The early history of Earth covers such vast stretches of time that years, centuries, and even millennia become virtually meaningless. Instead, paleontologists and scientists who study geochronology divide time into periods and eras. The current view of science is that Earth is around 4.6 billion years old, but despite all of the scientific advances made in the past few centuries, including an enhanced understanding of Earth’s geological past, relatively little is known about the planet’s early history.

After the last shots of World War II were fired and the process of rebuilding Germany and Europe began, the Western Allies and the Soviet Union each tried to obtain the services of the Third Reich's leading scientists, especially those involved in rocketry, missile technology, and aerospace research. Naturally, this was a delicate affair due to the fact many of the German scientists were not only active Nazis, but had helped the Nazi war machine terrorize the world.

Stuntman and two-time cancer survivor Memphis Haines excels at beating the odds. When he's presented with the opportunity to help his ex-boyfriend with a charity event, he jumps at the chance to make up for the devastating way he left Tyler 10 years ago. Memphis might have taken the college geek's virginity, but the former mathlete is now a hell of a head turner.

Dynah Carey sabía hacia dónde se dirigía su vida. Comprometida con un hombre maravilloso, la hija de padres doting, un hijo fiel de Dios, lo tiene todo. Entonces sucede lo impensable: la vida perfecta de Dynah es cambiada irrevocablemente por una violación que resulta en un embarazo no deseado. Su familia está destrozada y su fe aparentemente sólida se lleva al límite mientras se enfrenta a la elección más trascendental de su vida: abrazar o poner fin a la vida dentro de ella.

Who would want to kill the beloved First Daughter of Myanmar? As the case takes multiple unexpected turns, Bella finds herself questioning everyone around her. Foreign affairs, a missing billionaire heir, and a trail of bodies connected to the unstable nation. The truth of this case will have consequences. One that could create a ripple of bloodshed across the globe.

If Lon Chaney will forever be recognized as The Man with 1,000 Faces, Jackie Gleason holds a legitimate claim to being The Man with 1,000 Personas. Indeed, during his time hosting The Jackie Gleason Show on television, he developed numerous alter egos, including tough guy Rudy the Repairman, the energetic Joe the Bartender, and the alcoholic Rum Dum.

By the second century CE, Londinium was a large Roman city, with tens of thousands of inhabitants using villas, palaces, a forum, temples, and baths. The Roman governor ruled from the city in a basilica that served as the seat of government. What was once a 30 acre outpost now spanned 300 acres and was home to nearly 15,000 people, including Roman soldiers, officials and foreign merchants.