1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History


Book Description

This historical account of humanity's 5000 year history of recorded conflict looks at ancient wars, modern conflict, and everything in-between.




1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History


Book Description

An essential guide to the most intense, dramatic, important and extraordinary conflicts over the last 5,000 years and the consequences of those clashes on societies around the globe.




1001 Battles That Changed the Course of History


Book Description

From small-scale battles of the ancient world to devastating modern conflicts, this book provides a definitive and comprehensive record of the armed combats that have shaped the political and cultural landscape of the world in which we live. 1001 BATTLES THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY is an essential guide to the most intense, dramatic, important, and extraordinary conflicts over the last 5000 years and the consequences of those clashes on societies around the globe.




The Causes of War


Book Description

This is the first volume of a projected four-volume series charting the causes of war from 3000 BCE to the present day, written by a leading international lawyer, and using as its principal materials the documentary history of international law largely in the form of treaties and the negotiations which led up to them. These volumes seek to show why millions of people, over thousands of years, slayed each other. In departing from the various theories put forward by historians, anthropologists and psychologists, Gillespie offers a different taxonomy of the causes of war, focusing on the broader settings of politics, religion, migrations and empire-building. These four contexts were dominant and often overlapping justifications for the first four thousand years of human civilisation, for which written records exist.




Battles that Changed History


Book Description

Discover the stories behind more than 90 of the world's most significant battles in this lavishly illustrated history book. The most important battles ever to take place are brought to life in the most spectacular way. From the brutal battle of Gettysburg to the epic air-sea battle of Midway, find out how fateful decisions led to glorious victories and crushing defeats. Journey through the battlefields of history and follow the key developments of World War I, World War II, the Cold War and more in unprecedented visual detail. Using maps, paintings, artefacts, and photographs, Battles That Changed History is a guided tour of every major conflict in history. Explore the stories behind more than 90 important battles and discover how pivotal moments and tactical decisions have altered the course of history. From medieval clashes and great naval conflicts to the era of high-tech air battles, key campaigns are illustrated and analysed in detail. Learn incredible facts about the weapons, armour, soldiers, and military strategies behind some of the greatest battles ever. This reference book includes profiles of famous military leaders like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Rommel. See how kingdoms and empires have been won and lost on the battlefield. Go into the thick of combat at the Great Siege of Malta, the Battle of Stalingrad, and the icy waters of Dunkirk. It is the ultimate guide to the history of military conflict. Relive 3,000 Years of World-Changing Combat This stunning coffee table book from DK Books is a visual treat for history buffs, old and young. It includes a foreword from award-winning writer, TV presenter and historian, Sir Tony Robinson whose TV credits include Time Team, Blackadder,and The Worst Jobs in History. From the ancient world to the nuclear war, each chapter of this military history book brings the key battles of the era to life: - Before 1000CE: Includes Thermopylae and the Battle of Red Cliffs. - 1000 - 1500: Includes the Battle of Agincourt and Fall of Constantinople. - 1500 - 1700: Includes the Battle of Breitenfeld and Siege of Vienna. - 1700 - 1900: Includes the Battle Waterloo and Gettysburg. - 1900 - Present: Includes Dunkirk and Operation Desert Storm.




The Spartan Scytale and Developments in Ancient and Modern Cryptography


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive review and reassessment of the classical sources describing the cryptographic Spartan device known as the scytale. Challenging the view promoted by modern historians of cryptography which look at the scytale as a simple and impractical 'stick', Diepenbroek argues for the scytale's deserved status as a vehicle for secret communication in the ancient world. By way of comparison, Diepenbroek demonstrates that the cryptographic principles employed in the Spartan scytale show an encryption and coding system that is no less complex than some 20th-century transposition ciphers. The result is that, contrary to the accepted point of view, scytale encryption is as complex and secure as other known ancient ciphers. Drawing on salient comparisons with a selection of modern transposition ciphers (and their historical predecessors), the reader is provided with a detailed overview and analysis of the surviving classical sources that similarly reveal the potential of the scytale as an actual cryptographic and steganographic tool in ancient Sparta in order to illustrate the relative sophistication of the Spartan scytale as a practical device for secret communication. This helps to establish the conceptual basis that the scytale would, in theory, have offered its ancient users a secure method for secret communication over long distances.




Secret Agent, Unsung Hero


Book Description

Young Australian teacher Bruce Dowding arrived in Paris in 1938, planning only to improve his understanding of French language and culture. Secret Agent, Unsung Hero draws on decades of research to reveal, for the first time, his coming of age as a leader in escape and evasion during World War II. Dowding helped exfiltrate hundreds of Allied servicemen from occupied France and paid the ultimate price. He was beheaded by the Nazis just after his 29th birthday in 1943.




Reporting the Great War


Book Description

The Great War of 1914–1918 was the world's first total conflict. It drew the whole population into the war effort as never before. The armed forces recruited on a scale that was previously unimaginable, and the munitions industries drew more and more citizens into the labour market. The entire national economy was thrown onto a war footing. The local newspapers of those years provide a unique picture of these momentous changes, and Reporting the Great War uses their words to recapture the experience of the time. It illustrates in telling detail the human tragedies and triumphs of a nation at war and the day-to-day preoccupations of communities trying to find normality during an unprecedented emergency. Sections of the population were gripped by 'hun-phobia' the fear that everything Germanic was an agent of the enemy. Terror of aerial attack and the shortages caused by the German submarine blockade brought the reality of war close to home. Unfamiliar terms entered the national vocabulary conscription, conscientious objection, rationing and pre-war assumptions, from the role of women to the use of alcohol, were challenged and changed.Stuart Hylton's fascinating account of the British home front during the Great War, as it was seen through the newspaper columns of the day, shows a nation seemingly sleepwalking into a war in 1914 and emerging, four years later, with the hope that a better world would come with the peace.




Pirate Women


Book Description

In the first-ever Seven Seas history of the world's female buccaneers, Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas tells the story of women, both real and legendary, who through the ages sailed alongside—and sometimes in command of—their male counterparts. These women came from all walks of life but had one thing in common: a desire for freedom. History has largely ignored these female swashbucklers, until now. Here are their stories, from ancient Norse princess Alfhild and warrior Rusla to Sayyida al-Hurra of the Barbary corsairs; from Grace O'Malley, who terrorized shipping operations around the British Isles during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I; to Cheng I Sao, who commanded a fleet of four hundred ships off China in the early nineteenth century. Author Laura Sook Duncombe also looks beyond the stories to the storytellers and mythmakers. What biases and agendas motivated them? What did they leave out? Pirate Women explores why and how these stories are told and passed down, and how history changes depending on who is recording it. It's the most comprehensive overview of women pirates in one volume and chock-full of swashbuckling adventures that pull these unique women from the shadows into the spotlight that they deserve.




Gyrfalcon


Book Description

Gyrfalcons and humans have shared a remarkable relationship since prehistoric times. These extraordinary arctic falcons have been revered, coveted as an item of commerce, persecuted, and enjoyed as a spectacle of sport for at least ten thousand years. Today, climate change has brought new challenges, with habitat in the far north changing rapidly as natural cycles begin to break down. Drawn from over thirty years of study and observation, this in-depth study provides a comprehensive view of the gyrfalcon’s place in the arctic ecosystem, including their inextricable link to their primary pray, the ptarmigan, and their antagonistic relationship with golden eagles. It explores the connection the bird has had with humanity in both legend and practice, and the challenges it faces as its habitat continues to change. This definitive look at the gyrfalcon shows us both sides of the majestic bird: the master of its domain and a threatened species facing an uncertain future.