Bruce Wilson Jr.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

— Confucius

“If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday.”

— Pearl S. Buck

Books

History is more than a series of wars and plagues, battles and assassinations.

Bruce Wilson’s books highlight moments of human triumph and achievement.

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One Day At A Time
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One Day at a Time

History class never told you these stories.

What did Robert the Bruce learn from a spider? Why did Botticelli throw his paintings into a bonfire? How did the ancient Chinese use bones to predict the future?

One Day at a Time explores 365 moments in human history, from the development of writing through the 21st century.

These snapshots into the past capture the evolution of technology, the increasing connections between distant lands, and the individual triumphs that make history so fascinating.

Read an Excerpt from One Day At A Time:

Picture London in 1814. King George III rules over the United Kingdom––though not the American colonies. British troops march on Washington, D.C., where they set the White House on fire. And in London, cold temperatures turn the River Thames into solid ice.
That year, London held a frost fair on the frozen river. Stalls sold hot pies and spiced cider to visitors. Londoners danced on the ice to enchanting music. And when the ice melted, the frost fairs ended.
Or imagine life in 10th century China, where the women in the imperial harem filled their time by inventing a new game: playing cards. Thanks to China’s advances in printing and papermaking, “the game of leaves” soon became popular across Asia.
When playing cards reached Europe in the 14th century, the suits evolved from the Chinese suit of coins to swords, cups, staves, and coins.
Then sail to India in 1497 alongside Vasco da Gama. The first European to sail to Asia, da Gama thought he would impress the royal court in Calicut with his gifts.
But when the Portuguese explorer pulled out cloth, honey, hats, and oil, the king’s advisors laughed. Even the poorest merchant from Mecca brought gold to the king. Da Gama and other European travelers soon realized their idea of luxury didn’t measure up with the riches of the East.
One Day at a Time takes you through 365 moments in human history, from the development of writing through the 21st century.
These windows into history capture the evolution of technology, the increasing connections between distant lands, and the individual triumphs that make history so fascinating.
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Through Mona Lisa's Eyes
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Through Mona Lisa’s Eyes

How well do you know the Mona Lisa?

What about Michelangelo’s David? Or Van Gogh’s Starry Night?

You’ve seen famous paintings and sculptures in textbooks, museums, and movies. But do you know the compelling and fascinating stories behind the art––or the ways art changed history?

Journey through 3,000 years of art and history to shine a light on the hidden stories behind the world’s most famous works of art.

Read An Excerpt From Through Mona Lisa’s Eyes:

In 1911, a disgruntled Italian walked into the Louvre Museum wearing the same clothes as museum employees. A few minutes later, he left carrying a small portrait created 400 years earlier.
That painting was the Mona Lisa.
The theft made headlines around the world. Detectives descended on the Louvre looking for clues, even interviewing a young Pablo Picasso as a suspect.
For two years, the Mona Lisa sat at the bottom of a chest in a Paris apartment. Then, the thief boarded a train for Italy and tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The caper fell apart––the thief went to jail and the Mona Lisa went back to Paris.
After the daring theft, the Mona Lisa became the most famous painting in history. Within a few years, crowds packed the Louvre to see the famous painting. Adolf Hilter became obsessed with finding the Mona Lisa and a team of French curators smuggled the painting in hidden castles for six years during World War II.
Without Vincenzo Perugia, the Mona Lisa might have remained one of many portraits from the Renaissance. Thanks to the theft, it became the most recognizable painting in the world.
The history of the Mona Lisa doesn’t end when Leonardo da Vinci set down his paint brush, satisfied with his work. And the story of the Mona Lisa goes far beyond the 1500s when da Vinci created the painting.
Art tells a story––both about the place and time of its birth and also about its evolution after its creation.
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Gazing at the Night Sky

The wonders of the universe never seemed so close.

Who named the planets? Why isn’t Pluto a planet? And what’s the future of space?

From ancient cave paintings to flying drones on Mars, humanity’s relationship with the skies has changed dramatically. 

Journey to ancient China, where astronomers recorded centuries of eclipses. Visit medieval Britain when a comet toppled thrones. And ride along on Apollo 11’s lunar landing.

Gazing at the Night Sky shows how far we’ve come in learning about our universe––and the next challenges on the horizon.

Read An Excerpt From Gazing at the Night Sky:

In 1909, the writer Mark Twain said, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.” A year later, Twain died the day Halley’s Comet appeared in the skies.
By the 20th century, most people understood comets in scientific terms. Comets are objects made of frozen gases, ice, and rock. Some comets stretch tens of miles wide. And they orbit around the sun, often in much larger orbits than any of the planets.
Comets have a predictable cycle thanks to the sun’s gravitational pull. But it took observers centuries to identify that pattern for history’s most famous comet, Halley’s Comet.
When comets draw close to the sun, they grow warmer. The sun melts their ice. Gas and dust stream off the comets, creating a glowing effect around the comet’s head and a long tail that can reach millions of miles long.
Today scientists have identified nearly 4,000 comets orbiting our sun. And billions more exist in the Kuiper Belt. But in the past, comets were seen as mysterious, dangerous celestial objects.
For centuries, societies around the world interpreted comets as an evil sign and a warning of destruction. Records from thousands of years ago show that ancient cultures saw comets as a sign from the gods––and they usually weren’t a good thing.
When a comet appeared in the skies above England in 1066, a civil war followed. The comet hanging over Istanbul in the 16th century appeared days before a devastating earthquake. And twin comets over London in 1664 and 1665 were followed by plague and fire.
Comets were different from the familiar sun, moon, and planets. They were mysterious objects with strange tails that appeared and disappeared with no apparent order. Much like eclipses and meteor showers, comets stood out in the night sky because they broke the usual patterns of the celestial sphere.
But one scientist solved the riddle of comets: Isaac Newton. When the twin comets of the 1660s appeared, Newton was a student at Cambridge. And when the plague shut down the university, he went home to study nature alone.
Newton was able to unlock the secret to comets and change how people saw them––yet well into the 20th century comets still caused panics.
This chapter looks at how centuries of societies interpreted comets––and how Newton and his followers discovered the secret of comets.
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The Ocean Blue
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The Ocean Blue

The ocean shapes our history.

From the birth of humanity, oceans have separated and connected cultures. They have entranced and terrified generations. And they have shaped history in critical ways.

Maritime trade. Naval warfare. Ocean exploration. Across the centuries, the ocean became a site for scientific advances and a highway for globalization.

The Ocean Blue explores the way seas influence human history, from the ancient world to today.

Read An Excerpt From The Ocean Blue:

In July 1734, the Norwegian missionary Hans Egede peered over the side of a ship off the south coast of Greenland. In the icy waters, Egede saw something that shook him to the core.
Egede was no stranger to the North Atlantic. He’d lived in Greenland for over a decade as part of the Hope Colony. With the blessing of the Danish-Norwegian king, Egede had established the colony to search for the lost Norse colonists and convert them to Lutheranism.
Instead, Egede found only Inuits. Eager to share his religion with the Greenlanders, Egede taught them the Lord’s Prayer––with a modification. Under Egede’s watchful eye, the Inuits learned to say, “Give us this day our daily seal.” After all, Egede reasoned, the Inuits had no word for “bread.”
Yet even the experienced traveler was not ready for what he spotted off the side of his ship in 1734.
“A sea-monster appeared to us,” Egede wrote, “whose head, when raised, was on level with our main-top.”
The sea monster had distinctive features, which Egede described. “Its snout was long and sharp, and it blew water almost like a whale.” But unlike a whale, “it has large broad paws; its body was covered with scales; its skin was rough and uneven.”
The frightened missionary concluded, “In other respects it was as a serpent, and when it dived, its tail, which was raised in the air, appeared to be a whole ship’s length from its body.”
Had Hans Egede discovered a sea monster?
If so, he was in good company. European sailors and travelers crossing the Atlantic often spotted sea creatures that crossed the line between natural and monstrous.
Even Europe’s great navigators spotted sea monsters. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed west, he found more than a new hemisphere.
In Jan. 1493, while sailing in the Caribbean, Columbus sighted three mermaids. “They are not as beautiful as they are painted,” Columbus noted in his journal, “since in some ways they have a face like a man.”
The explorer Henry Hudson also caught sight of a mermaid in 1608. Hudson and his crew agreed that the mermaid appeared exactly like a woman with long, dark hair––except she had a tail like a porpoise.
Explorers like Columbus and Hudson had left behind the well-known waters of the Mediterranean and Europe’s Atlantic coasts. On small ships powered by sails, they voyaged into unknown, uncharted waters. But even a landlubber on his first ocean voyage knew the sea teemed with life. And not all of it was friendly.
Sailors told tales of terrifying sea monsters who could destroy ships. Sea serpents wrapped their coils around hulls and pulled men into the deeps. Leviathans sometimes slept on the surface of the ocean, so large that sailors mistook them for islands. But men who left the safety of their ships to sleep on these islands awoke with the ground rumbling beneath them as the leviathan dived, taking the sailors to their graves.
Yet for every tall tale about a terrifying sea monster, sailors brought home stories of real sea creatures. Naturalists trying to sort through the stories found it impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. As a result, for centuries sea monsters appeared in natural history books––which only reinforced the fear of sailors.
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Royal Life

Powerful. Influential. Captivating. 

Royalty fascinates us. Luxurious portraits of kings and queens showcase their riches and power. Tales of daring rulers transform monarchs into almost divine figures. And tragic stories underscore the high stakes for royals. 

The life of a royal was not always roses. Child monarchs, royal imposters, and political upheaval could change the course of history––and steal away the crown.

Royal Life is a backstage pass to 5,000 years of royal history.

Read An Excerpt From Royal Life

In 1981, Lady Diana Spencer walked down the aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral to marry Prince Charles. Dubbed the “wedding of the century,” the royal wedding drew an estimated audience of 750 million people around the world.
A generation later, Kate Middleton climbed the steps at Westminster Abbey to marry Prince William. Over a billion people tuned in to watch the royal wedding in 2011, and it brought several billion dollars in tourist revenue to the UK.
These royal weddings captured the imagination––and they seemed to bring a fairytale to life. In both cases, a bride married into royalty, gaining the trappings of a royal lifestyle.
But historically, these two royal weddings stand out for a different reason. For much of history, royals married for strategic reasons, not for love.
In fact, looking back at British history, love matches were often seen as terrible mistakes. When King Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville in 1464, his advisors called it a missed opportunity. Instead of marrying a foreign princess and building a strong alliance, Edward chose a commoner who was also a widow. And as late as the 20th century, a British king had to choose between love or his throne.
What was the purpose of royal weddings? Marriage was a tool that royals wielded to their advantage. A marriage alliance could end a war and build new alliances. When Henry VII, the first Tudor king, wed Elizabeth of York, he signaled the end of the War of the Roses. And when Louis XVI of France married Marie Antoinette, it signaled a new alliance between France and the Hapsburg Empire.
Portugal and Spain fought over their border for centuries. In 1729, Portugal and Spain participated in “the exchange of the princesses.” The daughter of Spain’s king married the son of Portugal’s king, while the daughter of Portugal’s king married the son of Spain’s king.
The two royal courts met on the border between Portugal and Spain. On a floating pavilion over the Caia River, the kings watched as their daughters crossed the river. The double royal wedding bonded the Iberian powers together.
Royal marriages also brought valuable dowries. When Catherine of Braganza wed Charles II, England gained control of the cities of Tangier and Bombay. When Eleanor of Aquitaine married the king of France, it nearly doubled France’s size. And when King James VI of Scotland married Anne of Denmark, the Orkney Islands passed from Danish into Scottish hands.
Most importantly, marriage alliances brought the possibility of heirs. Kings and queens needed heirs to carry on their dynasty and uphold the family legacy. And only legitimate children born within the bonds of matrimony qualified.
Still, some of the most memorable royal couples went beyond strategic alliances or large dowries. Because marriage could also bring royals a companion and advisor. This chapter looks at some of the most important marriages in royal history.

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Welcome to America

America is a nation of immigrants. And every immigrant has a story.

Immigrants built America. But what was it like to leave home with no money? And how did it feel to step onto Ellis Island?

America’s immigrants were inventors and entrepreneurs. They worked in the fields and factories that powered the country. And they risked their lives serving in the military.

The history of immigrants in America is one of triumphs and challenges. Experience history through the eyes of generations of immigrants.

Welcome to America explores the immigrant experience in American history.

Read An Excerpt From Welcome to America

American history is the history of immigrants – and every immigrant has a unique story.
What was life like for the millions of people who crossed the Atlantic by sail and by steam in the 1800s? What challenges did Japanese immigrants face working on the sugar plantations in Hawaii? And what happened to the Mexicans who suddenly became American when a peace treaty changed an international border?
The history of immigration is about much more than government policies or lines on a map. It’s about real people starting over in a new place. Welcome to America tells the stories of those immigrants.
The history of immigrants in America is one of triumphs. People persecuted for their religion found acceptance in America. And immigrants with innovative ideas – for machines, clothes, and even food – struck rich in America.
Immigrants have brought home gold medals to their adopted country. They’ve served in the military. And they’ve made the country stronger, safer, and happier.
But the history of immigrants is also one of challenges. From terrifying ocean crossings to exploitative working conditions, immigrants have had to overcome great odds.
President John F. Kennedy summed up the challenges immigrants face. “Little is more extraordinary than the decision to migrate, little more extraordinary than the accumulation of emotions and thoughts which finally leads a family to say farewell to a community where it has lived for centuries, to abandon old ties and familiar landmarks, and to sail across dark seas to a strange land,” Kennedy wrote.
“Centuries ago,” Kennedy added, “migration was a leap into the unknown.”
What did that leap look like for the millions of immigrants who came to America?
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Strange But True Stories

What if you could start a conversation with a single story?

History is full of strange stories. Why did the Soviet Union ban weekends? How did a turkey mishap electrocute Benjamin Franklin? And why did British gentlemen rent pineapples?

Explore the true stories behind history’s most fascinating moments.

Strange But True Stories explores strange, curious, and astonishing stories from history.

Read An Excerpt From Strange But True Stories

Fashion trends from the past can easily look dated. But did you know about the Victorian fad for insect jewelry?

The Victorian fascination with naturalism started the trend. Yet fashionable ladies quickly went beyond wearing butterfly prints or pairing yellow and black––some wanted to wear live insects.

In 1891, a newspaper reported on a certain lady who attended events wearing a live beetle decorated with a diamond. “Truly a fashionable toilet is becoming a composite thing, with dead birds and butterflies . . . and Mexican bugs as jewelry, held by golden chains,” reported Entomological News.

Naysayers wondered what would be next. Would ladies affix hummingbird heads to their bodices? Would they hang beetles from their ears? One writer worried that “the fashionable hat of the coming period will have for its chief ornament a lobster looking round the brim, or a mackerel sitting on its tail.”

While living lobster hats never came into fashion, insect-inspired jewelry tantalized Victorian ladies.

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War and Chance

What moments changed the course of military history?

In between the best-known wars and battles, smaller moments had an outsized impact.

Discover when Ulysses Grant and Robert E. Lee fought on the same side years before they faced off in the Civil War. Learn about the French army that changed history by defeating Muslim invaders in the 8th century. Find out why a minor 19th-century skirmish stopped the U.S. from invading Canada.

These stories offer a new perspective on 3,000 years of military history.

War and Chance puts military history in a new light.

Read An Excerpt From War and Chance

In late June 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand rode in the back of a car through Sarajevo. A bomb flew through the air and hit the roof of the Archduke’s vehicle. It bounced off the top, rolled under a nearby car, and exploded.
The Archduke lived. But several men in his entourage found themselves in the hospital.
Later that same day, Ferdinand decided to visit the injured men. He stepped into the car once more. But on the way to the hospital, Ferdinand’s driver took a wrong turn and stopped directly in front of Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist.
Princip pulled a gun from his coat, closed his eyes, and fired. The bullet struck its target and instantly killed Franz Ferdinand.
In the wake of the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. But Serbia had a mutual defense agreement with Russia, forcing Russia to declare war on Austria-Hungary. Once Russia declared war, Germany mobilized because of its own defense agreement with Austria-Hungary.
France had signed a defense agreement with Russia, so France declared war on Germany. Germany launched an assault on France that went through Belgium, bringing Great Britain into the war because of its defense agreement with France and Belgium. Once Great Britain was in the war, Japan joined because of their defense alliance.
The assassination of an Austro-Hungarian Archduke by a Serbian nationalist set off a cascading series of alliances that led to World War I.
But what if the first assassination attempt had killed the Archduke? Or what if Ferdinand had never made the unscheduled trip to the hospital that put him directly in the path of Gavrilo Princip, his assassin?
Would the mutual defense alliances have still triggered a massive, global war? Might a different trigger have lit the fuse?
History is not inevitable. It always has an element of chance. And that is especially true of military history. A single moment can end a war––or start one.

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Wild Life

The Old West was wilder than the movies.

Picture cowboys, saloons, railroads, and outlaws. You might think you know the Wild West, but Hollywood’s Westerns didn’t tell you the whole story. Reality was even wilder than fiction.

Walk through the swinging doors of Old West saloons, ride along on daring escapes, and dive into the showdowns between sheriffs and outlaws. This book will make you look at the Wild West in a new light.

Discover what really made the West wild in Wild Life.

Read An Excerpt From Wild Life

Watch any John Wayne movie and you’ll admire the actor’s well-groomed, clean appearance. That wasn’t the reality in the West. Cowboys rarely took the time to get a clean shave in the morning, and bathing was often a monthly occasion.
In Wild Life, we’ll discover what really happened at the O.K. corral, how outlaws robbed trains, and how sheriffs tried to keep law and order. We’ll examine the most popular forms of entertainment, from the saloon to the gambling hall, as well as the rodeo and the gallows. Plus, we’ll explore the wildest entertainment in the West––watching locomotives intentionally crash into each other.
How did Billy the Kid escape from a hanging? How did Buffalo Bill outsmart the Indians who took him captive? And what was prison like in the West? You’ll be shocked to learn how easy it was to escape flimsy jails.
Wild camels once roamed the West, while miners adopted wild cats as pets. And the only thing wilder than the wildlife was the drinks in the saloons. Many contained turpentine, chewing tobacco juice, and formaldehyde.
If the drinks left you at death’s door, you could always turn to a snake oil salesman. But the cures hawked at medicine shows were unregulated, and many were as dangerous as the saloon drinks.
In between honing their sharpshooting skills and visiting the dozens of saloons in every town, residents of the West searched for riches. The lure of gold brought hundreds of thousands to the West, and its appeal never faded. Even years after the Wild West era ended, rumors of undiscovered gold mines continue to flourish.
Tales of riches drew many to the West. So did the chance to start a new life. But the risks were high on the frontier. Wild animals and an unforgiving environment could kill you. And even if you survived those challenges and struck it rich, a fortune in gold put a target on your back.
Discover what really made the West wild in Wild Life.

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