Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

  • Lyt og læs så meget du har lyst til
  • Opdag et kæmpe bibliotek fyldt med fortællinger
  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals
  • Opsig når som helst
Start tilbuddet
DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P. T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison

Længde
11T 16M
Sprog
Engelsk
Format
Kategori

Historie

In 1903 at the soon-to-open Luna Park on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted, likely with advice from Thomas Edison, whose film crew recorded the horrible event. Over the past century, this bizarre, ghoulish execution has reverberated through popular culture with the ring of an urban legend. But it really happened, and today, Edison’s footage can be found on YouTube, where it has been viewed nearly two million times.

Many historical forces conspired to bring Topsy, Edison, and those 6,600 volts of alternating current together at Coney Island that day. Journalist Michael Daly’s Topsy is a fascinating popular history that traces them, from the rise of the circus in America and the lives of circus elephants, through Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the war of the currents, to the birth of Coney Island.

Throughout the book, Daly follows Topsy’s picaresque life up to the point of her death, from her capture, the roar of the crowd, life on the endless road, and the tormenting of her trainers, weaving her tale through other big stories such as P. T. Barnum and Adam Forepaugh’s circus rivalry, trainers Stewart Craven and Eph Thompson’s kindness to the animals, and Thomas Edison’s attempt to prove alternating current was far more dangerous than his direct current. It’s a touching tale, and it is impossible to read Topsyand look at the circus, elephants, or Thomas Edison the same way again. Above all, Topsy is an entertaining read that brings to life this remarkable world and its characters.

© 2013 Blackstone Publishing (Lydbog): 9781482101249

Release date

Lydbog: 2. juli 2013

Andre kan også lide...

  1. Freedom National: The destruction of Slavery in the United States, 1861-1865 James Oakes
  2. Just Plain Dick: Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech and the “Rocking, Socking” Election of 1952 Kevin Mattson
  3. The Tormented Alliance: American Servicemen and the Occupation of China, 1941-1949 Zach Fredman
  4. Hurricane Jim Crow: How the Great Sea Island Storm of 1893 Shaped the Lowcountry South Caroline Grego
  5. Mourning Lincoln Martha Hodes
  6. The Wars of the Lord: The Puritan Conquest of America's First People Matthew J. Tuininga
  7. Downtown Juárez: Underworlds of Violence and Abuse Howard Campbell
  8. Last Train to Hilversum Charlie Connelly
  9. The Prosecutors: A Year in the Life of a District Attorney's Office Gary Delsohn
  10. Lincoln's Body Richard Wightman Fox
  11. The Blackened Canteen Jerry Yellin
  12. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848 Daniel Walker Howe
  13. Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America Jim Carnes
  14. Deep Conviction: True Stories of Ordinary Americans Fighting for the Freedom to Live Their Beliefs Steven T. Collis
  15. Red Star over Hollywood: The Film Colony’s Long Romance with the Left Allis Radosh
  16. Getting to the Promised Land: Black America and the Unfinished Work of the Civil Rights Movement Kevin W. Cosby
  17. Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova Ty Gagne
  18. Who Decides?: States as Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation Jeffrey S. Sutton
  19. Deep Water: Murder, Scandal, and Intrigue in a New England Town Kenneth M. Sheldon
  20. Mixing It: Diversity in World War Two Britain Wendy Webster
  21. Tearing Down the Lost Cause: The Removal of New Orleans's Confederate Statues James Gill
  22. First Class: The Legacy of Dunbar, America’s First Black Public High School Alison Stewart
  23. The Sensational Past: How the Enlightenment Changed the Way We Use Our Senses Carolyn Purnell
  24. Fallen: The inside story of the secret trial and conviction of Cardinal George Pell Lucie Morris-Marr
  25. Empires and Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of Medieval Powers (5 in 1) Harris Ropes
  26. The Furies: Violence and Terror in the French and Russian Revolutions Arno J. Mayer
  27. Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox Jonathan B. Tucker
  28. Mr. Huston / Mr. North: Life, Death, and Making John Huston’s Last Film Nat Segaloff
  29. The Crude, Unpleasant Age of Pirates: The Disgusting Details About the Life of Pirates Christopher Forest
  30. In Strange Company: An American Soldier with Multinational Forces in the Middle East and Iraq Col. Roland J. Tiso Jr. (Ret) US Army
  31. No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs Nury Turkel
  32. Frames of Time: A Journey Through Cinematic Evolution Brussel Stevens
  33. Dark Cinema: The Evolution of Scare Tactics in Hollywood Gunther Adams
  34. State of Play: The Old School Guide to New School Baseball Bill Ripken

Vælg dit abonnement

  • Over 600.000 titler

  • Download og nyd titler offline

  • Eksklusive titler + Mofibo Originals

  • Børnevenligt miljø (Kids Mode)

  • Det er nemt at opsige når som helst

Flex

For dig som vil prøve Mofibo.

89 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 20 timer/måned

  • Gem op til 100 ubrugte timer

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Prøv gratis
Den mest populære

Premium

For dig som lytter og læser ofte.

129 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • 100 timer/måned

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Unlimited

For dig som lytter og læser ubegrænset.

149 kr. /måned
  • 1 konto

  • Ubegrænset adgang

  • Eksklusivt indhold hver uge

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Ingen binding

Start tilbuddet

Family

For dig som ønsker at dele historier med familien.

Fra 179 kr. /måned
  • 2-6 konti

  • 100 timer/måned pr. konto

  • Fri lytning til podcasts

  • Kun 39 kr. pr. ekstra konto

  • Ingen binding

2 konti

179 kr. /måned
Start tilbuddet