Showing results by narrator "Tony Honickberg" in All Categories

Fred Astaire, 1899 to 1987, born Frederick Austerlitz, was an icon and extremely influential American dancer, singer, actor, and choreographer. Although Astaire refused dance lessons at first, he quickly picked up choreography and showed himself to be a natural talent; he also began learning various instruments. Overall, Astaire’s stage and film and television career spanned 76 years. Astaire starred in more than 10 Broadway musicals, over 30 musical films, and numerous television specials, radio specials, and recordings.

Bob Hope (1903-2003) born Leslie Townes Hope, was an American comedian whose career spanned 78 years. During Hope’s long career, he achieved recognition as a stand-up comedian, a vaudevillian, an actor, a singer and dancer, an author, and even an athlete.

Queen Victoria, 1819 to 1901, was the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death, and is one of the most widely recognised rulers in British history. Queen Victoria’s 63 year rule (a rule longer than any of her predecessors) coincided with an era of monumental changes and developments in industry, politics, science, and culture as well as the vast expansion of the British Empire across the globe; most significant of all being Britain’s colonial activity in India, so much so Queen Victoria earned the title of Empress of India in 1876.

Robespierre was a poor, well-educated activist and politician who would seize power during the French Revolution...today he is not remembered for his work on universal male voting rights, price controls for basic food needs, and abolishing slavery...but for his Reign of Terror. How did an intelligent man driven by morals of freedom and justice end up executing thousands in a mad grab to maintain power? Follow his fascinating descent from the Hero of the Republic to its true enemy.

Considered by many to be the Father of Western Philosophy, the life of this great philosopher is shrouded in mystery. He would study under the renown Plato and along with Socrates is responsible for making the ideas of the late, great philosopher known to the world. Aristotle would ascribe views on science that would be held as gospel throughout the Middle Ages and his thoughts on the nature of existence continue to influence great minds today.

Today, Brooklyn is New York's largest and arguably most vibrant borough, with a diversity of culture and sights that draw millions of people to it everywhere. How did this borough, which was a Dutch marshland in the early 1600s, come to be the place it is today? Trace from the 1600s to modern day and explore Brooklyn's role after English takeover, during the Civil War, the monumental construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the variety of peoples who make up its demographics.

People often think of feminism as a modern movement, born out of voting rights debates in the 1920s. But strong women have been fighting for equality in society since the start, as evidenced by Olympe de Gouges, the French revolutionary writer who would die by the guillotine due to the radical nature of her work.

Neville Chamberlain rose from Parliament to prime minister during one of the most tumultuous times in English history. He worked to calm tensions between England and Germany as Germany became more and more aggressive - most notably signing away part of Czechoslovakia to Germany in a bid to keep the peace. His alliance with Poland would pull Britain into the war, and he would lead them for the first eight months, until stepping down in the hopes that a more united governmental front with new leadership would be what was best for the country.

Ayn Rand is one of the most famous contemporary philosophers, particularly for her landmark books The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. She was the founder of Objectivist Philosophy which was largely rejected during her time but has recently enjoyed a huge surge in popularity among many political groups. Her works focused on free market capitalism and intense individual and property rights. Ironically, the woman who prized individualism above all else, and rejected all government support, rose to prominence and then ended her life surviving off of social programs.

Pericles was a statesmen, general, and speaker during the Golden Age of Athens. His impact on the city-state would be so great that Thucydides, an honored historian, would refer to him as the city's First Citizen. In what would be titled the "Age of Pericles", he would turn the Delian League from an alliance to an Athenian Empire and foster the arts and sciences within his country more than any leader had before him. He is responsible for starting the great projects of Athens, like the Acropolis and Parthenon, which can still be seen in their glory today.

Mata Hari paints a fascinating picture: an exotic dancer turned spy, eventually executed for her devious work during World War I. Her life, however, reveals a much different story. She would make a living as a dancer and exhibitionist, as well as through lifelong habit of telling wild tales about herself that sold well to the papers. Whether or not she was a true spy or was simply framed in the fallout of the War is almost impossible to ascertain, and leaves the listener wondering - who really was this woman, and can we ever know?

Agatha Christie remains, all these years later, the unchallenged queen of the murder-mystery genre. What life could produce the woman who seems to be the clear inspiration for J.B. Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote? Follow Christie from England to Egypt and back again, join her on archaeological digs with her husband and dive into strange facts that led to her to write fewer books as she aged.