10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America (History Channel Presents) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A companion book to The History Channel® special series of ten one-hour documentaries

10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America pinpoints pivotal days that transformed our nation. For the series and the book, The History Channel challenged a panel of leading historians, including author Steven M. Gillon, to come up with some less well-known but historically significant events that triggered change in America. Together, the days they chose tell a story about the great democratic ideals upon which our country was built.

You won’t find July 4, 1776, for instance, or the attack on Fort Sumter that ignited the Civil War, or the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. But January 25, 1787, is here. On that day, the ragtag men of Shays’ Rebellion attacked the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts, and set the new nation on the path to a strong central government. January 24, 1848, is also on the list. That’s when a carpenter named John Marshall spotted a few glittering flakes of gold in a California riverbed. The discovery profoundly altered the American dream. Here, too, is the day that noted pacifist Albert Einstein unwittingly advocated the creation of the Manhattan Project, thus setting in motion a terrible chain of events.

Re-creating each event with vivid immediacy, accessibility, and historical accuracy, 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America comes together as a history of our country, from the first colonists’ contact with Native Americans to the 1960s. It is a snapshot of our country as we were, are, and will be.

About the Author

Steven M. Gillon is the resident historian of The History Channel and host of HistoryCENTER. Having taught at both Oxford and Yale, he is currently a professor at the University of Oklahoma.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307339343
• ISBN-13: 978-0307339348
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #33,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Past that Created Change, October 8, 2006

By	Edward P. Matos "edmatos52" (Laredo, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In "10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America", Steven M. Gillon writes about key events in US history and their impact on American Society. Gillon does this while paying close attention to historical accuracy and with lively writing that is sharp, descriptive, and enjoyable.

Gillon's book is about historical events that caused, for better or worse, long-lasting changes in American history. Gillon does not write about April 6, 1917, when America entered World War I, or December 8, 1941, when America declared War on Japan. Gillon does not cover the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy, which had profound effects in American society. The author does not write about the 1973 landmark case: "Roe v. Wade". Instead, Gillon selects what some may view as obscure events, but that are all important in the sense that they did cause unforeseen change in American history.

Gillon covers a wide range of events, from the slaughter of the Pequot Indians by the Puritans to the murders of three young civil rights workers in Mississippi. Did Shays' rebellion lead to the creation of the Executive, Judiciary, and Legislative branches of the government? Was the Battle of Antietam the beginning of the end of the Civil War? Was Elvis Presley the "founding father" of rock and roll? These are but some of the questions that Gillon wants us to ponder.

Few Americans will disagree that Theodore Roosevelt was the architect of significant changes in American history. However, would Roosevelt have become president if President William McKinley had not been assassinated in 1901? While some readers may disagree with Gillon's selection of events, his book will still make for interesting and lively reading - the reader will have to make his or her own assessment.

Whether you agree or disagree with Gillon's ten historical events, one thing is certain: "10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" will give every reader food for thought with Gillon's wide-angle view of our past, our present, and perhaps our future.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpectedly thought-provoking book, March 17, 2007

By	L. F. Smith (E. Wenatchee, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book, the companion volume to a History Channel series with the same name, is an unexpectedly thought-provoking book.

The series and the book spotlight ten days in US history that triggered critical changes in the nation's development in an unexpected manner. That's an unusual concept. It means, for example, that Lincoln's assassination is ignored, while McKinley's is explored. That's because the impact of the former is well understood, while the impact of the latter-- Teddy Roosevelt unexpectedly propelled into the presidency, the sudden change in US foreign policy to an expansionist mode, the acceleration of the Progressive agenda, and the eclipse of the dominant conservatism at the end of the century-- is not.

Obviously, it's possible to quarrel with the ten events that were selected for the book and the series. Is the slaughter of the Pequot Indians by the Puritans really a critical event? How about Elvis Presley's appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show? Gillion makes the case, and it's up to us to decide if he's right.

The book and the series were developed in parallel, not in tandem. That is, Gillon details the same events as the series writers did, but they didn't share sources. I saw only two episodes of the series, and there are differences in emphasis.

The book is brief, but Gillon is careful to summarize without endangering historical accuracy. The ten accounts are fast-moving, and the writing is crisp. The end result is a very entertaining and enjoyable read. At the end of every chapter, Gillon cites several sources for further reading. These include standard histories and source documents.

This book offered a lot to think about. I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it highly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Events are vividly re-created, September 23, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

If the title sounds familiar, it's because the History Channel has a series of documentaries on the topic - and 10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA is the companion book for the series, covering the major events which triggered lasting changes in the nation. From the January 1787 battle of Shays' Rebellion to a carpenter who started the California gold rush, events are vividly re-created with plenty of attention to their lasting impact.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch