One-Night Stands with American History (Revised and Updated Edition): Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents [Paperback]

Richard Shenkman (Author), Kurt Reiger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

Respect yourself in the morning -- read One-Night Stands with American History!

This collection of little-known facts and anecdotes is American history with the boring parts left out. Richard Shenkman and Kurt Reiger have uncovered numerous stories about hoaxes, inventions, secrets, and rare incidents -- many involving the most famous and powerful people in America.

• President U. S. Grant was arrested for speeding in his horse carriage.
• J. Edgar Hoover refused to allow people to walk on his shadow.
• France shipped Louisiana twenty-five prostitutes because women were in short supply in 1721.
• H. L. Hunt won his first oil well in a game of five-card stud.

Even historians find that One-Night Stands with American History features fascinating stories they never knew. Now updated with facts and anecdotes from the last twenty years, this volume is a treasure trove of remarkable stories that will startle, entertain, and inform you. And the best part is that they're all true!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Shenkman is an associate professor of history at George Mason University and the New York Times bestselling author of six history books, including Presidential Ambition; Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of American History; and Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter. The editor and founder of George Mason University’s History News Network website, he can be seen regularly on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Revised edition (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060538201
• ISBN-13: 978-0060538200
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Anecdotes, May 12, 2001

By 

Jamie Jeffords (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One-Night Stands With American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents (Paperback)

Not exactly heavy reading, since one can finish it in one sitting with little effort, but this was one of the most fun books this little history buff has ever read.

ONSWAH gives a few dozen anecdotes and unusual or ironic facts in each era of American history on up until the Carter administration.

For anyone who is interested in America history and wants something more akin to brain candy, I highly recommend this book. It's one you will pull off the shelf again and again, just to make sure that little known and silly fact actually does exist and you didn't just imagine it. Just please don't start any bar fights over some of the odder bits of trivia.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One Night Stand, July 6, 2000

By 

Ben - See all my reviews

This review is from: One-Night Stands With American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents (Paperback)

I was visiting Washington D.C. recently and saw this book at the gift shop there. On a whim (mostly because I love trivia), I decided to buy the book to read on the plane home. I never made it that far.

Richard Shenkman and Kurt Reiger put together a collection of trivia, facts, and anecdotes regarding nine different time periods including Columbus, The Civil War, Hiroshima, and many others. A wide variety of information is covered, and nearly every (if not every) entry has source notes.

When I first picked up the book, I finished it before my scheduled plane departure. I stayed up all night reading the book until it was finished. I had a One Night Stand with American History.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars guess i'm monogamous, February 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: One-Night Stands With American History: Odd, Amusing, and Little-Known Incidents (Paperback)

An entertaining enough collection of weird facts and anecdotes about American history--each one with an original source citation to boot, which is great. Except that a lot of it's anecdotal, and a lot of the sources are OTHER collections of trivia rather than anything primary. But it's all richer and smarter than I would have expected, which is why my browsing through it turned into a full reading.--J.Ruch