Merchant John Banister (1707-1767) of Newport, Rhode Island, wore many hats: exporter, importer, wholesaler, retailer, money-lender, extender of credit and insurer, owner and outfitter of sailing vessels, and ship builder for the slave trade.
This first ever biography of Antarctic explorer Sir Raymond Priestley (1886-1974) covers his full (at times life-threatening) involvement with Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1907-1909 Nimrod Expedition and Robert Scott's 1910-1913 Terra Nova Expedition.
Originally designed as a cargo and paratroop transport during World War II, the Fairchild C-82 Packet is today mainly remembered for its starring role in the Hollywood film The Flight of the Phoenix (1965).
Sprint Car Hall of Famer Kramer Williamson began his 45-year professional career as a grassroots racer from Pennsylvania and became one of the most successful and beloved professional drivers of all time.
Trained as a photo reconnaissance unit, Marine Observation Squadron 251 ended up serving as a fighter squadron for the duration of World War II, shooting down 32 Japanese aircraft.
The first African-American aircraft carrier commander, Rear Admiral Lawrence Cleveland Chambers (1929- ) played a prominent role as captain of the USS Midway during the Vietnam War.
A Scottish immigrant to Illinois, Joseph Brown made his pre-Civil War fortune as a miller and steamboat captain who dabbled in riverboat design and the politics of small towns.
The truck's role in American society changed dramatically from the 1960s through the 1980s, with the rise of off-roaders, the van craze of the 1970s and minivan revolution of the 1980s, the popularization of the SUV as family car and the diversification of the pickup truck into multiple forms and sizes.
Incorporated by veteran automakers in 1913, the Chandler Motor Car Company was initially successful in a fiercely competitive industry, manufacturing an array of quality automobiles at a range of prices.
Featuring 256 drawings, this history of military trains and railways from 1853 through 1953 describes how the railroad transformed the nature of warfare.
Electric propulsion for boats was developed in the early 19th century and--despite the advent of the internal combustion engine--continued with the perfecting of the modern turbo-electric ship.
This comprehensive look at the heyday of automobile manufacturing in Ohio chronicles the region's early prominence in an industry that was inventing itself.
Against a backdrop of inadequate funding, misplaced priorities and a lack of manpower, American commercial aviation in the 1960s was in a perilous state.
From 1850 to 1854, the ambitious Commander Robert McClure captained the HMS Investigator on a voyage in search of the missing Franklin Expedition, which sailed from England into the Arctic in 1845 to map the last uncharted section of the North-West Passage.
From rubber landing boats to picket boats to minesweepers, smaller support vessels did much of the work of the Korean War, and endured many of the dangers and hardships.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the United States has sought to achieve Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan's vision of "e;command of the sea"e; using large battle fleets of capital ships.
The Union victory at Gettysburg is widely considered the turning point of the Civil War but many scholars consider the capture of Vicksburg the decisive action.