Approximately 900 hiking trails in the United States take hikers along routes or past sites of historical importance and offer commemorative embroidered patches or other souvenirs of the outing. These
During WWII, Summers was a still photographer in the United States' 166th Signal Photo Company. Here, accompanied by 172 of the photographs he took during the war, he recalls his experiences in the fi
The plots of many films pivot on the moment when a dowdy girl with bad hair, ill-fitting outdated clothing, and thick glasses is changed into an almost unrecognizable glamour girl. Makeover scenes suc
In 1922, when Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen, much of what was then known about mummies came from the writing of Greek historian Herodotus and from the paintings o
Under the threat of climate change, corruption, inequality and injustice, Americans may feel they are living in a dystopian novel come to life. Like many American narratives, dystopian stories often f
In 1954, a massive irradiated dinosaur emerged from Tokyo Bay and rained death and destruction on the Japanese capital. Since then Godzilla and other monsters, such as Mothra and Gamera, have gained c
Launched in 1977 by the Christian Broadcasting Service (originally associated with Pat Robertson), the ABC Family/Freeform network has gone through a number of changes in name and ownership. Over the
The J. Lloyd Eaton Conferences on Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature—long held at the University of California, Riverside—have been a leading influence in the study of science fiction and fantasy
Informers have been active during of all periods of unrest in Ireland but, apart from Tudor times, had never been an organized phenomenon until the 20th century. The decision (or refusal) to inform is
Glen Sharp’s boxing career was a rise-and-fall story without so much rise in it. A sparring partner for heavyweight Hall of Famer Yaqui López, he “retired” with a record of one victory and two defeats
Set in politically unstable environments, Shakespeare’s history plays—Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV and Henry V—and HBO’s Western series Deadwood (2004–2006) all stand as critiques of myths of na
“Egyptomania,” the West’s obsession with the strange and magnificent world of Ancient Egypt, has for centuries been reflected in architecture, literature and the performing arts. But the discovery of
Introduced in the Pacific Northwest in 1883, professional wrestling’s long and storied history in the region has contributed significantly to its culture. This entertaining account of the wrestling in
Set in the American Southwest, “desert terror” films combine elements from horror, film noir and road movies to tell stories of isolation and violence. For more than half a century, these diverse and
One dimensional television characters are a thing of the past—today's popular shows feature intricate storylines and well developed characters. From the brooding Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries
For almost three centuries, the “Pennsylvania Dutch”—descended from German immigrants—have practiced white magic, known in their dialect as Braucherei or Powwowing. The art of black magic is known as
Living in a reed hut on Taveuni—Fiji's “garden isle”—the author studied the native language and carefully-observed traditions until he was accepted as a (somewhat unusual) member of the village. Des
The Geheime Feldpolizei (Secret Field Police) was the political police force of the German Army during World War II. Its members were drawn from both the regular German police, including detectives, a
Despite censorship and revision by Christian redactors, the early medieval manuscripts of Ireland and Britain contain tantalizing clues to the cosmology, religion and mythology of native Celtic cultur
From the early 1950s until 1992, the U.S. Army deployed thousands of nuclear warheads throughout Europe as a deterrent to Soviet ambitions. The end of the Cold War saw the decommissioning of much of t