Description:
"European arms race and war talk grow" (March 1914). "22,000 Nazis hold rally in New York" (February 1939). "Vietnam Reds launch Tet offensive" (January 1968). "First NATO air attack over Bosnia" (February 1994). The 20th Century Day by Day tells the history of that belligerent period in the form of modern newspaper articles. Though at times it seems that the 20th century was constantly racked by war, the entries in this weighty tome cover everything from military history, political changes, and scientific discoveries to cultural milestones and obituary notices. For example, headlines from May 1954 include "Dien Bien Phu falls to Communists," "High court orders school integration," "Bannister is first to break 4-minute mile," and "Giant brain foreshadows electronic office": Development of an "electronic brain" designed specifically for business use was announced today by the International Business Machines Corp. Capable of performing more than ten million operations an hour, the new device brings the all-electronic office closer to reality, the company said. This lavishly illustrated book is difficult to put down--not surprising, when each turn of the page reveals gems such as "Model T ready to roll" (August 1908), "Empire State Building is world's tallest" (May 1931), "Ingrid Bergman says she's no saint" (August 1949), "Sinatra and Mia are wed; go to London" (July 1966), and "Pompidou Center: factory or museum?" (February 1977). Some of the stories rely heavily on foreshadowing or are reported in a rather coy tone: "Nelson Rockefeller meets unusual end" ("...there were reports he died in the arms of a young, female friend while supposedly working on a book on art, one of his favorite subjects"). That said, The 20th Century Day by Day is a beautiful book, perfect for browsing, that will thrill any history buff. This updated edition now contains images from late 1999, including the worldwide celebrations on December 31. --Sunny Delaney
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