Bill Fawcett

Every four years Americans go to the polls to elect a leader—a personage of unimpeachable sobriety and moral standing who will serve as a paragon for the rest of us. But truth be told, presidents and their families are people too—with quirks and character flaws like everyone else ... and plenty of skeletons rattling around in their closets. Oval Office Oddities is a grand compendium of fascinating, sometimes embarrassing presidential facts, gaffes, and oddball behaviors—available in plenty of time for Election Day!White House Whoopee: We've all heard about the dalliances of Clinton and Kennedy—but what were Washington, Jefferson, FDR, and Ike doing behind closed doors?America's Imelda: Mary Todd Lincoln had an endearing little clothing fetish ... and once purchased 300 pairs of gloves in a single month!Go West, Young Prez: "California Dreamin'" was not a top presidential priority ... since no Commander in Chief bothered to visit the neglected coast until Rutherford B. Hayes did in 1880.Crazy Jack: Many prominent leaders were absolutely convinced that John Adams was stark raving bonkers!

A fascinating, fun, and fact-filled compendium of the greatest lies, deceptions, propaganda, and frauds ever perpetratedThroughout history—from the dawn of man to the War on Terror—governments, corporations, historians, and high-level braggarts of every stripe have freely engaged in the time-honored pastime of lying for fun and profit. You Said What? is an endlessly entertaining and outrageously edifying look at some of the biggest whoppers of all time, chock-full of deceptions, trickery, and incredible untruths both infamous and obscure.The press conspiracies that protected FDR's legs, as well as JFK's sex addiction and failing healthLies that caused the Knights Templar fall, the Salem witch trials, and the Black DeathBig lies that changed history: Vietnam's Gulf of Tonkin, the Cuban missile crisis, the "Polish" raid that kicked off WWII...and remember the Maine?The self-made, self-serving myths we still believe today of Davy Crockett, Lawrence of Arabia, and NapoleonPlus our own personal pick for History's #1 Biggest Liar...and much more!The lies will out! You Said What? is an indispensable treasure trove of true falsehoods, and an irreverent introduction to the world's greatest lies and the liars who told them.

History has never been more fun than it is in this fact-filled compendium of historical fiascoes and embarrassingly bad ideas.Throughout history, the rich and powerful, and even just the dim-witted, have made horrifically bad decisions that have had resounding effects on our world. From kings to corporate leaders, from captains to presidents, no one is immune to bad decisions and their lasting legacy. The fiascoes that litter our history are innumerable ... and fascinating in their foolishness. This witty collection of historical mayhem chronicles unwise decisions from ancient Greece to modern-day Hollywood and everything in between. Learn such lessons as:Never trust Greeks bearing gifts of large wooden horses.Avoid building elementary schools on toxic waste dumps, even those with sweet monikers like Love Canal.Rabbits multiply like rabbits Down Under.Even if you use brightly colored paint on the boats, it's quite easy to misplace an entire country's navy.With more than forty-five chapters of mind-boggling flubs and follies, fans of history, trivia, and those who just want a good laugh will adore this intriguing and fun read.

The U.S. Navy SEALs have long been considered among the finest, most courageous, and professional soldiers in American military history—an elite fighting force trained as parachutists, frogmen, demolition experts, and guerrilla warriors ready for sea, air, and land combat. Born out of a proud naval tradition dating back to World War II, the first SEAL teams were commissioned in the early 1960s. Vietnam was their proving ground.In this remarkable volume, fifteen former SEALs—most of them original founding team members, or "plankowners"—share their vivid first-person remembrances of action in Vietnam. Here are honest, brutal, and relentlessly thrilling stories of covert missions, ferocious firefights, and red-hot chopper insertions and extractions, revealing astonishing little-known truths that will only add strength to the enduring SEAL legend.

Throughout the annals of history, the best of intentions--and sometimes the worst--have set in motion events with a vastly different outcome than originally intended. In this entertaining, fact-filled chronicle, William Forstchen and Bill Fawcett explore the watersheds of history that began as the best of ideas and ended as the worst of fiascoes.A Holy War--The Medieval Crusades for religious liberation become centuries of slaughter and destruction.Sibling Rivalry--Leif Erikson spares his sister's life and delays the discovery of the New World for five hundred years.Big Guns--Emperor Constantine XI refuses to buy a new supercannon that would let him dominate his enemies, so its creator sells the cannon to the Turks, who then crush Constantinople.With casual wit and subtle insight, It Seemed Like a Good Idea...tucks tongue in cheek and rides out the fiascoes of history.

Seen as merely a thought experiment for over a century, the space elevator is now understood to be achievable in our foreseeable future. It promises to open up the Solar System to all of humanity, and this book gives you a peek at that future. Interweaving both science fiction stories involving the space elevator along with non-fiction articles on the basic technical, financial, legal, social and political issues surrounding the space elevator, this book will give you an entertaining and. Informative crash course in the space elevator. After reading this book, you will understand both why we want to build a space elevator as well as how it will be built.

From the Publisher: A remarkable compendium of wild schemes, mad plans, crazy inventions, and truly glorious disasters. Every phenomenally bad idea seemed like a good idea to someone. How else can you explain the Ford Edsel or the sword pistol-absolutely absurd creations that should have never made it off the drawing board? It Looked Good on Paper gathers together the most flawed plans, half-baked ideas, and downright ridiculous machines throughout history that some second-rate Einstein decided to foist on an unsuspecting populace with the best and most optimistic intentions. Some failed spectacularly. Others fizzled after great expense. One even crashed on Mars. But every one of them at one time must have looked good on paper, including: The lead water pipes of Rome. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge-built to collapse. The Hubble telescope-the $2 billion scientific marvel that couldn't see. The Spruce Goose-Howard Hughes's airborne atrocity: big, expensive, slow, unstable, and made of wood. With more than thirty-five chapters full of incredibly insipid inventions, both infamous and obscure, It Looked Good on Paper is a mind-boggling, endlessly entertaining collection of fascinating failures.

The annals of history are littered with horribly bad military leaders. These combat incompetents found amazing ways to ensure their army's defeat. Whether it was a lack of proper planning, miscalculation, ego, bad luck, or just plain stupidity, certain wartime strategems should never have left the drawing board. Written with wit, intelligence, and eminent readability, How to Lose a Battle pays dubious homage to these momentous and bloody blunders.

Part of a naval tradition dating back to World War II, the first SEAL teams were commissioned in January 1962. Formed to execute special missions and to counteract guerrilla warfare, which was becoming more and more common throughout the world, SEAL teams trained to fight in SEa, Air, and Land environments. Undergoing a training regimen considered one of the most difficult in the military, SEALs were underwater demolition experts, experienced parachutists, and specialists in a host of other skills. And their first real proving ground was Vietnam. In Hunters and Shooters, fifteen SEALs who fought in Vietnam share their experiences - wins, losses, and lessons learned.

This book presents the vivid personal accounts of six Navy SEALs as they tell their incredible stories of survival. From Vietnam to Coronado, guerrilla warfare to shoreline training missions, The Teams shows how the SEALs became one of the most effective special military forces in the world.