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Sitting Bull lives on in legacy as a Native American chief who fought against white oppression. When the US government broke land treaties to seek gold in the Black Hills, Sitting Bull took a stand against the desecration of this sacred land. He led his people, the Hunkpapa Lakota, through a period of resistance amidst crisis. He persisted through the end of the Great Sioux Wars, famously facing off against George Armstrong Custer in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn. Though shot and killed in 1890, Sitting Bull's immortal spirit of resistance continues to inspire.

In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquests, a state enamored with Greek culture rose to power. Born out of the divided Macedonian Empire and founded by Seluceus, the new Empire grew to eventually contain Anatolia, Persia, Levant, Mesopotamia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Alexander's empire splitting led to the Babylonian War and Seleucid rise to power, and the late struggles between the Empire and Rome in the 60s BCE. Explore this imperialist center of the arts and sciences that constantly struggled balancing rebellions throughout its lands.

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794 to 1877) was an American business magnate whose wealth and significance was rooted in the shipping industry and the development of railroads. Cornelius was also the patriarch of the extremely wealthy influential Vanderbilt family. During the 1850s and beyond, Vanderbilt took an interest in various US railroads, and bought, invested in, and developed various railroad routes, not only earning a vast amount of wealth but also, as some historians have stated, expanded America’s transportation infrastructure, transforming the very geography of the United States.

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.

Since 1823, Texas Rangers have defended frontier families, stopped cattle rustlers, solved crimes, and done much more beyond the scope of even the US Army. Writer Karl Kesel once noted that the Texas Rangers would make perfect comic book characters because “They’re so larger than life.” Their skill and bravery pushed the borders of believability: they’d famously send a single ranger to control an entire riot. This brief text delves into the Rangers’ storied history - from their humble beginnings serving the Republic of Texas, to their modern role as detectives in cowboy hats.

The year was 1381. The English government had failed its lower classes time and again with repressive labor laws and high taxes, and the peasants had had enough. In an unprecedented outburst of force, the peasants revolted against their leaders in a bloody march on London, burning buildings and killing government officials. The movement didn’t end there, though; it spread all over England, with Richard II trailing behind to suppress it. This audiobook delivers the fascinating history of this historical event that forever changed not just British history, but the world’s history.

Get smarter in just 60 minutes with in60Learning. Concise and elegantly written nonfiction books and audiobooks help you learn the core subject matter in 20% of the time that it takes to read a typical book. Life is short, so explore a multitude of fascinating historical, biographical, scientific, political, and financial topics in only an hour each.

The war gets its name from British colonists’ two primary enemies: the French settlers and the Native Americans who sided with them. The title is a bit misleading, however, as the British also had Native Americans on their side at various points of the war. The conflict goes by "The Seven Years’ War" in Europe because it took place from 1756 to 1763. Britain’s victory solidified the future of the English-speaking North America we know today. However, it also led to the massacre of countless Native peoples throughout North America.

This biography introduces listeners to Ramesses II's many accomplishments as both a warrior-king and a god-king. When he died at age 96, Egyptians believed him to be a higher deity than any who preceded him; in some ways, he achieved eternal life by living on in memory through the end of the Egyptian Empire and beyond.

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.

In 2017, the 29th Sultan of Brunei, Hassanl Bolkiah, celebrated his Golden Jubilee, marking his 50th year in power. Bolkiah negotiated Brunei's independence from the British Empire in 1978, a freedom which they achieved in 1984. The first sultan to also serve as Prime Minister, Bolkiah has ruled over this prosperous nation ever since. He is officially the world's wealthiest monarch thanks to his country's oil and gas reserves. Whether you know him for his extravagant lifestyle or his political work establishing Shari'ah Law, the Sultan of Brunei is a powerful leader.

Greta Garbo, a Swedish-born American actress, holds her own as one of the top five female stars of the Hollywood Golden Years. The renowned silent film star remained mysteriously silent off-screen, too. This earned her the moniker of “Swedish sphinx,” an aura of mystique she cultivated despite her international stardom. After 20 years in film, she retired and spent the next 50 years as a recluse in New York; she made few public appearances, declining even to attend the 1954 Academy Awards to accept her special Academy Honorary Award.

Dolley Madison (1768 to 1849) born Dolley Payne, was the fourth first lady of the United States and wife of James Madison, founding father and fourth president of the United States. Madison is now most famous for holding large Washington social functions to which members of both political parties where invited. Dolley Madison, essentially, helped create the concept of bipartisan cooperation and furthered the idea that both parties could socialize, debate, and negotiate with each other amicably and without descending into violence.

The Roman Empire crumbled, and nothing could replace it. People groups shifted all over the continent: the Byzantines came after the Visigoths, the Saxons clashed with the Celts, and the Vikings pillaged everyone. Eventually, feudalism emerged and brought with it knights in shining armor and long lines of monarchs.

Born the illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy, young William rose against his controversial origins to become a powerful leader. He fought to establish his power as a Duke and then used that power to take England by storm. He faced off against King Harold in the Battle of Hastings, ultimately winning the English crown. William’s legacy as “the Conqueror” is not a nice one—he achieved greatness through brutal means. What he did not only secured his own reign, however, it paved the way for the future of England.

Before he defected to the British Army, Arnold’s contemporaries praised him for his heroism. What caused this man to turn on his peers and sully his name for all time? This fascinating look into Arnold’s life unravels the bias surrounding the man, shedding light on the intent behind his infamous act.

Grace Kelly only graced American film screens from 1950-1956. She came from a line of successful individuals, and her short career was no exception; she starred in numerous films, worked with legendary director Alfred Hitchcock, and won an Academy Award. She also won the heart of the Prince of Monaco, whom she wed in 1956. She reigned as a philanthropic princess until her dramatic death on a winding Monaco street in 1982. This biography serves as an introduction to her life and legacy as a film princess.

Long before historians added "the Great" to his name, Alexander stated, "I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity." He certainly lived up to this ambition, conquering most of the known world in just 13 years before his death at age 33. Though undefeated in his lifetime, Alexander died unsatisfied - he always wanted more. His ambitious personality comes as no surprise considering his upbringing: born to powerful parents, he studied under Aristotle and grew up believing himself a descendant of the Greek heroes Achilles and Heracles.

The conflict lasted less than two years, but the repercussions shook both nations for much longer. Having already lost Texas, the still newly independent Mexico was unprepared to defend their northern territories. The US plowed forward through to California with a sense of manifest destiny. While the US fought to gain more land, however, the war splintered the North and South; many Americans saw the war as an unjust theft of Mexican land and knew that the South’s reliance on slave labor would further establish this divisive injustice in America.

Throughout the 1920s, America's public figures considered a prosperous stock market to be a sign of a prosperous nation. While unemployment slowly rose and production dropped, leaders assured everyone that they should have faith in the economy. Then came the Great Crash on Wall Street. The loss of faith in public institutions devastated Americans ideologically just as it devastated the national economy - the US would never be the same again. This brief introduction paints the picture of life in America on the precipice of the Great Depression.