Ian H. Shattuck has narrated 8 audiobooks on Listento.it by 2 authors. The most-rated is The Statue of Liberty: The History and Legacy of America's Most Famous Statue.
The Chrysler Building
Summary
"I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline. The shapes and the thought that made them. The sky over New York and the will of man made visible.... Let them come to New York, stand on the shore of the Hudson, look and kneel. When I see the city from my window - no, I don't feel how small I am - but I feel that if a war came to threaten this, I would like to throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body." - Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead Of all the great cities in the world, few personify their country like New York City. As America's largest city and best known immigration gateway into the country, the Big Apple represents the beauty, diversity and sheer strength of the United States: a global financial center that has enticed people chasing the "American Dream" for centuries. Given that history, it's no surprise that New Yorkers have always wanted to construct the biggest and best structures possible, even in the early 1930s at the height of the Great Depression. Indeed, those years produced the Empire State Building, which remains the city's most iconic building. But New York's most famous skyscraper wouldn't have been possible without the Chrysler Building, a landmark in its own right that was the tallest building in the world for nearly a year before its more famous counterpart's completion. In fact, the spirit of competition between the groups working on the two buildings helped ensure that both look like they do today. And the Chrysler Building only reached the height it did because a large skyscraper at 40 Wall Street was also trying to claim the mantle of tallest building at the same time.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
The Golden Gate Bridge
Summary
"To this Gate I give the name of 'Chrysopylae,' or Golden Gate, for the same reason that the harbor of Byzantium was called 'Chrysoceras,' or Golden Horn." (Captain John C. Fremont, 1846) "[A] perpetual monument that will make this city's name ring around the world and renew the magical fame which the Golden Gate enjoyed in the days of '49." (S.F. Examiner editorial, March 24, 1925) San Francisco has countless landmarks and tourist spots, but few are as associated with the city as the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the modern world's engineering marvels. The giant suspension bridge spans the San Francisco Bay, with a length of over 1.5 miles, a height of nearly 750 feet, and a width of around 100 feet. While it is a beautiful and instantly recognizable landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge was also a very practical one born of necessity. After the California Gold Rush helped turn San Francisco into a destination site, connecting people on both sides of the beautiful Golden Gate Strait became vitally important. There was a consistent ferry service in the area, but the advent of automobiles made a bridge even more imperative. At the same time, no one in the world had ever successfully built a bridge as long as this one would be, and indeed no one else would for another three decades after the Golden Gate Bridge opened. Given its size, it should come as little surprise that the Golden Gate Bridge was one of the most ambitious and expensive projects of its age. Indeed, it would take nearly 20 years from the time the bridge was proposed to its grand opening, and it cost hundreds of millions of dollars (the equivalent of several billion today).
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
The Race to the Top of New York City's Skyline
Summary
Of all the great cities in the world, few personify their country like New York City. As America's largest city and best known immigration gateway into the country, the Big Apple represents the beauty, diversity and sheer strength of the United States, a global financial center that has enticed people chasing the "American Dream" for centuries. Given that history, it's no surprise that New Yorkers have always wanted to construct the biggest and best structures possible, even in the early 1930s at the height of the Great Depression. Indeed, those years produced the Empire State Building, which remains the city's most iconic building, but New York's most famous skyscraper wouldn't have been possible without the Chrysler Building, a landmark in its own right that was the tallest building in the world for nearly a year before its more famous counterpart's completion. In fact, the spirit of competition between the groups working on the two buildings helped ensure that both look like they do today, and the Chrysler Building only reached the height it did because a large skyscraper at 40 Wall Street was also trying to claim the mantle of tallest building at the same time. The Chrysler Building was the first man-made object to surpass 1,000 feet in height, and while it has been surpassed by considerably taller projects since, it remains the largest steel-supported brick building in the world. As its name suggests, the Chrysler Building was named after Walter P. Chrysler, who ran the car company at the time, and yet his corporation never owned the building because he cherished it so much that he personally paid for the skyscraper and kept it in his family.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
The Johnstown Flood of 1889
Summary
Includes accounts of the flood written by survivors. Includes a bibliography for further reading. "The deluge released by the dam's collapse carried more than 12,000 cubic meters of debris-filled water each second. Flow rates in the Mississippi River typically vary between 7,000 and 20,000 cubic meters per second." - Sid Perkins, Science News, Vol.176 In 2005, the world watched in horror as Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, and the calamity seemed all the worse because many felt that technology had advanced far enough to prevent such tragedies, whether through advanced warning or engineering. However, the failure of human engineering like that seen in New Orleans was nothing new, and it had previously had even deadlier consequences in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Although floods rarely get as much coverage as other kinds of natural disasters like volcanic explosions, the Johnstown Flood of 1889 has remained an exception due to the sheer destruction and magnitude of the disaster. On May 31, 1889, Johnstown became a casualty of a combination of heavy rains and the failure of the South Fork Dam to stem the rising water levels of Lake Conemaugh about 15 miles away. The dam's inability to contain the water and its subsequent collapse resulted in a catastrophic flood that swept through the town with virtually no warning. With water flowing at a rate equivalent to the Mississippi River, a tide of water and debris 60 feet high and traveling 40 miles per hour in some places surged through Johnstown and swept away people and property alike. The flood ultimately resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, wreaking damages estimated to be the equivalent of nearly half a billion dollars today.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
Grand Central Station
Summary
Of all the great cities in the world, few personify their country like New York City. As America's largest city and best known immigration gateway into the country, the Big Apple represents the beauty, diversity and sheer strength of the United States, a global financial center that has enticed people chasing the "American Dream" for centuries. Given that background, it's fitting that the city's most iconic railroad station, Grand Central Terminal, is the largest in the world, sprawling across nearly 50 acres with over 40 platforms and 65 lines. Moreover, in addition to handling hordes of bustling commuters, it's now a classic tourist spot that attracts tens of millions of visitors annually. As author Tom Wolfe would so eloquently put it, "Every big city had a railroad station with grand - to the point of glorious - classical architecture - dazzled and intimidated, the great architects of Greece and Rome would have averted their eyes - featuring every sort of dome, soaring ceiling, king-size column, royal cornice, lordly echo - thanks to the immense volume of the spaces - and the miles of marble, marble, marble - but the grandest, most glorious of all, by far, was Grand Central Station." Like Manhattan itself, Grand Central Station, which recently celebrated its 100th birthday, manages to be both historic and modern. Built upon the site of a former railroad depot, the current structure and layout was phased in over the course of nearly a decade in the early 20th century. Whereas the first railroad stations depressed the value of land nearby in the 19th century, the location of Grand Central was a boon that actually helped bring about construction all across Midtown, including the nearby Chrysler Building, thereby serving to transform the cityscape altogether. Grand Central Station: The History of New York City's Famous Railroad Terminal chronicles the construction and history of the Big Apple's most famous train station.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
The Empire State Building: The History of New York City's Most Iconic Landmark
Summary
"I would give the greatest sunset in the world for one sight of New York's skyline. The shapes and the thought that made them. The sky over New York and the will of man-made visible.... Let them come to New York, stand on the shore of the Hudson, look and kneel. When I see the city from my window - no, I don't feel how small I am - but I feel that if a war came to threaten this, I would like to throw myself into space, over the city, and protect these buildings with my body." - Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead Of all the great cities in the world, few personify their country like New York City. As America's largest city and best known immigration gateway into the country, the Big Apple represents the beauty, diversity, and sheer strength of the United States, a global financial center that has enticed people chasing the "American Dream" for centuries. Given that history, it's fitting that the Empire State Building is the city's most famous building, a soaring skyscraper that has been one of the tallest buildings in the world for nearly a century and the most recognizable landmark in New York. The Empire State Building was constructed using the art deco style, which was trendy during the era. It had been used for other skyscrapers like the Chrysler Building, but that's where the comparisons end. At the time, the Empire State Building was unprecedented in almost every aspect of its creation. With a race for dizzying heights underway, ground was broken on the Empire State Building on St. Patrick's Day 1930. The ceremony marking its completion would come just a little more than a year later.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors
Your Ultimate Guide to Outdoor and Urban Survival
Summary
There are a lot of misconceptions out there about how urban survival and wilderness survival/camping do or do not fit together. Arguments range from saying wilderness survival skills and camping can help in urban survival situations to saying all that's needed for long-term urban survival is your survival or camping gear. The truth does, however, lie in between. Regardless of your level of experience or amount of skill, this guide has some great stuff to share about outdoor and urban survival. In both urban and wilderness survival, the most crucial and common factor that determines whether you'll succeed or fail lies in your mind-set. The fundamentals of survival are common to urban and wilderness scenarios: shelter, food, security, medical, water, and fire. However there are some notable differences. In wilderness or outdoor survival scenarios, it will normally be you or a group of people trying to survive off the land or from what you've been able to carry along. In other words you can think of a wilderness survival scenario as you versus the world. A typical character you can identify with in such situations is John Rambo, where it's basically him versus the world. Quite often wilderness survival scenarios take place because there isn't anyone else around. Long-term urban survival, on the other hand, is a totally different situation. There will be people around you. After being able to keep yourself under control, a crucial factor that will determine your long-term urban survival will be how well you can interact with different people. Are you able to forge relationships and friends? Are you willing to exchange services and/or goods with other people? Can you achieve this in such a way that you'll be able to get good deals and still maintain good relationships with those other people in the future? These are some vital attributes and things to consider when looking to survive in an urban setup. Let's get started!
©2015 J.D. Rockefeller (P)2015 J.D. Rockefeller
The Statue of Liberty: The History and Legacy of America's Most Famous Statue
Summary
"[A] masterpiece of the human spirit [that] endures as a highly potent symbol - inspiring contemplation, debate and protest - of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy, and opportunity." (The UNESCO Statement of Significance, describing the Statue of Liberty) Among America's countless monuments and landmarks, none embodies the principles of the nation quite like Lady Liberty, the colossal statue that stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. A gift from the French that was built and transported in the late 19th century, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of the United States' guarantee of individual freedom. Its location took on added meaning as it welcomed millions of immigrants sailing across the Atlantic to nearby Ellis Island. People around the world are instantly familiar with the statue today, whether from seeing pictures or depictions of it or actually visiting it and going inside. But the story of its construction is just as fascinating. Conceived as a monument that would commemorate the crucial alliance between America and France, the statue was a massive undertaking, from fundraising to the construction of the sculpture and a pedestal. The project took several years and a precarious transport of the statue's pieces across the Atlantic to New York, where it was officially dedicated in 1886 and celebrated with a ticker tape parade.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors