Graeme Donald

David Southwell

Taking each theory in turn, Stuff They Don't Want You to Know considers more than 80 conspiracies, examining the evidence and key suspects in an explosive account of the world's secrets. Meticulously researched, it contains fresh revelations on historical conspiracies that won't go away, as well as information on the latest cover-ups. Brought to life with photographs of the places, people and evidence, this book is your in-depth guide to the grassy knolls and undercover bunkers of a world you were never meant to know existed.

Stuff They Don't Want You to Know

Bilimsel Gercek Zannedilen Tuhaf Fikirler

Bir Zamanlar Dünya Düzken

We've always measured the world around us, from how big things are, to how fast they go, how much they're worth and practically everything in between. But who decided how we do it, and why? The Long and the Short of It takes us back in time to discover the origins and evolution of a huge variety of different units of measurement. On the way it answers such questions as: Why do we measure time in units of 60? How do you determine the height of a mountain when sea level keeps changing? Why did the length of a mile once depend on where you came from? What's the width of a horse's backside got to do with NASA's booster rockets? Packed with fascinating stories, this is an intriguing guide to the many systems of measurement that make sense of our daily lives, from pounds and parsecs to bushels and barricades.

How We Came to Measure Our World

The Long and the Short of It

The perfect gift for anyone with an interest in our scientific history, When the Earth Was Flat exposes the scientific theories that were once widely believed to be true but have since been disproved. Featuring ideas that now seem more crazy than credible, from the human body being made up of only four humours - black and yellow bile, blood and phlegm - to the discovery of the so-called 'missing link' in the evolutionary chain. When the Earth Was Flat tells the fascinating story behind those scientific theories we once believed to be true, and shows how the way we view the world, and the way we think the world works, has changed completely throughout history.

All the Bits of Science We Got Wrong

When the Earth Was Flat

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon'. Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn't take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly?Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could probably reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up. The Mysteries of History is an entertaining romp through the centuries, uncovering the great mysteries surrounding some of the most inaccurate and misleading parts of our past.

Mysteries of History

From Mozart's Murder to Cleopatra's Asp

Fake History

The Accidental Scientist explores the role of chance and error in scientific, medical and commercial innovation, outlining exactly how some of the most well-known products, gadgets and useful gizmos came to be.

The Role of Chance and Luck in Scientific Discovery

The Accidental Scientist

a catalogue of historical errors and misunderstandings

Lies, damned lies, and history

Os Mistérios da História - Revelar a Verdade sobre os Mitos do Passado

Quando a Terra Era Plana

A Catalogue of Historical Errors and Misunderstandings

Lies, Damned Lies, and History

In this quirky and humorous volume, Graeme Donald explores the fascinating links and curious connections between words. While at first these word pairs may appear to have very little in common, owing to years of linguistic shift, their origins can be traced back to the same root. In exploring these etymological twins, Words of a Feather reveals the oddities of the English language and the fascinating stories that have made our vocabulary so rich. The perfect gift for language lovers and history buffs alike, this beautiful book contains over 200 word pairs with a common ancestry.

An Etymological Explanation of Astonishing Word Pairs

Words of a Feather

Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way' and who would go to war over a game of football, a pig, or an old bucket? Oppenheimer fluffed his lines after the first atomic test; virtually every well-known quote attributed the Duke of Wellington is wrong; Churchill had a BBC voice impersonator record all his famous WW2 speeches as he was invariably too busy or too 'tired and emotional' to do it himself and no-one at the time called WW1 'The War to end all Wars'. Will you believe the truth?

101 Myths, Mishaps and Misadventurers of Military History

Loose Cannons

We have all heard about the great generals of military history, and those whose heroic deeds changed the course of war. This is not their book. Instead, this offbeat and engaging book reveals the stories of 75 bit-players of military history- Hitler's personal pilot, Hanna Reitsch; Pierre Basile, the crossbowman whose arrow hit Richard I; Major John D Barry, the Confederate who mistakenly gave the order to fire upon General Stonewall Jackson, and Lee Duncan, who rescued a puppy from the German trenches of World War I and took him back to America, where he became famous as Rin Tin Tin. If you think you know your history, prepare to think again.

And Other Stories of the Unknown Players who Made History Happen

Mussolini's Barber

We've always measured the world around us, from how big things are, to how fast they go, how much they're worth and practically everything in between. But who decided how we do it, and why?The Long and the Short of It takes us back in time to discover the origins and evolution of a huge variety of different units of measurement. On the way it answers such questions as:Why do we measure time in units of 60? How do you determine the height of a mountain when sea level keeps changing? Why did the length of a mile once depend on where you came from?What's the width of a horse's backside got to do with NASA's booster rockets? Packed with fascinating stories, this is an intriguing guide to the many systems of measurement that make sense of our daily lives, from pounds and parsecs to bushels and barricades.

When the Earth Was Flat tells the fascinating story behind scientific theories we once believed to be true, and shows how the way we view the world, and the way we think the world works, has changed completely throughout history.

At home or in the office, the loo is one of those few places where we have space to sit and think. And now you can have your own private lavatory lecturer help you make the most of it. Featuring mind-expanding trivia, extraordinary facts and enlightening stories from history, science, the world of words and much, much more, Learn on the Loo provides the perfect pre-flush entertainment with bite-sized chunks of wisdom that are sure to impress your friends, family and colleagues. So, however long you're usually 'engaged' for, turn those toilet breaks into toilet tutorials and become bog brainy.

Making Your Me Time More Productive

Learn on the Loo

From cats, spats and catacombs to the Wall Street shuffle, this book looks at how historical events didn't always unfold as we think they did. It takes the readers on a journey, century-by-century, showing how the truth we take for granted is a far cry from the facts. It is suitable for those who want to see the past as it was.

Lies, Damned Lies and History

As Napoleon himself once said, 'History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon'. Noted down in historical documents, copied and widely repeated, it doesn't take long for a version of the truth to become accepted as fact. But who invents these false accounts in the first place, and why do they gain traction so quickly? Far from concerning the obscure and insignificant parts of our history, these fundamental inaccuracies and downright lies colour the depiction of many of those pivotal characters and events we learnt about at school. Cleopatra, Marco Polo, Captain Cook, Joan of Arc; most of us could probably reel off a fact or two about each. But as this intriguing book reveals, a closer examination of these core parts of our social and political history shows that often all was not as it seemed, and that the agendas of those responsible for recording these events had a huge impact on what was reported and what was covered up. The Mysteries of History is an entertaining romp through the centuries, uncovering the great mysteries surrounding some of the most inaccurate and misleading parts of our past.

Unravelling the Truth from the Myths of Our Past

The Mysteries of History

This book is the perfect gift for anyone with an interest in our scientific history. It exposes the theories that were once widely regarded as facts but have since been proven to be complete science fiction. From such seemingly crazy ideas as the body being composed of only four things—black and yellow bile, blood, and phlegm—to the discovery of dinosaur bones being accepted as the bones of giants killed in the great flood from Biblical times. They Got It Wrong: Science tells the fascinating story behind 50 erroneous scientific theories and gives incredible perspective on how the way we view the workings of the world has evolved throughout history.

Graeme Donald

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