Several years ago, I saw this book and instantly wanted it. But it was expensive, and not a “need”, so I passed. Last Christmas my wife got it for me, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.
We Interrupt This Broadcast is a look at the events of the 20th century that stopped regularly scheduled broadcasting in America. My copy starts with the Hindenburg crash in 1937 and ends with the death of John Kennedy Jr. Later editions include the 2000 election and 9/11.
As a history book, it’s interesting, engaging, and well written, but really only scratched the surface of any given event, since there are so many in a single book. What makes this book a valuable inclusion on your history shelf is the cd’s.
There are 2 cd’s that come with the book, and they have (with some commentary) recordings the broadcast news about the event. Now, I remember the impeachment of Clinton, and Flight 800 exploding, and I’d even read the transcript of the Hindenburg broadcast, but I’d never heard most of that stuff. The emotion in the voice of that newscaster is breathtaking. He stood there and watched it burn, and watched people die, and couldn’t do anything about it.
The vast majority of the events in the book took place either before I was born, or when I was too young to remember, or grasp the significance thereof.
I strongly recommend getting this book. The text is a good refresher, but the audio is something you’d have to spend a lot of time digging up elsewhere.
Edited by Joe Garner – Foreword by Walter Cronkite – Narrated by Bill Kurtis
ISBN: 1570719748
Table Of Contents:
Foreword by Walter Cronkite
Introduction
The Hindenburg Explodes: May 6, 1937
Pearl Harbor Under Attack: December 7, 1941
D-Day: The Normandy Invasion: June 6, 1944
President Roosevelt Dies: April 12, 1945
V-E Day: War in Europe Ends: May 7, 1945
Atomic Bomb Destroys Hiroshima: August 6, 1945
Japan Surrenders: WWII Ends: August 15, 1945
Truman Defeats Dewey: November 3, 1948
General MacArthur Fired: April 11, 1951
Sputnik Launched by Soviets: October 4, 1957
John Glenn Orbits Earth: February 20, 1962
Marilyn Monroe Dies: August 4, 1962
Cuban Missile Crisis: Nuclear War Threatened: October 22, 1962
President Kennedy Assassinated: November 22, 1963
Lee Harvey Oswald Assassinated: November 24, 1963
President Johnson Declines Re-election Bid: March 31, 1968
Martin Luther King Jr. Assassinated: April 4, 1968
Robert Kennedy Assassinated: June 4, 1968
Apollo 11: Man Walks on Moon: July 20, 1969
Apollo 13: Astronauts Escape Disaster: April 13, 1970
Kent State Massacre: May 4, 1970
Munich Olympics Tragedy: September 5, 1972
Nixon Resigns: August 8, 1974
Saigon Falls: April 30, 1975
Elvis Dies: August 16, 1977
Iran Hostage Crisis: November 4, 1979
John Lennon Assassinated: December 8, 1980
President Reagan Shot: March 30, 1981
The Challenger Explodes: January 28, 1986
Berlin Wall Crumbles: November 9, 1989
Operation Desert Storm Begins: January 29, 1991
Rodney King Verdict Incites Riots: April 29, 1992
Waco Standoff Ends in Disaster: April 19, 1993
O.J. Simpson Saga: June 13, 1994 – February 4, 1997
Oklahoma City Bombing: April 19, 1995
Flight 800 Explodes Over Atlantic: July 17, 1996
Atlanta Olympics Bombing: July 27, 1996
Princess Diana Dies: August 31, 1997
The Impeachment of President Clinton: December 19, 1998
Tragedy at Columbine High School: April 20, 1999
John F. Kennedy Jr. Dies: July 16, 1999
The 2000 Election: November 7, 2000
Attack on America: September 11, 2001
My grandfather was there in Lakewood, NJ, when the Hindenberg went down. He gave his coat to a lady who survived. Living in NJ just a half hour or so from there I’ve been to the site several times. The hanger that was built for the Hindenberg is immense. They house a model aircraft carrier in it now, and say that’s it’s so big that it creates its own weather inside.
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