Imagine a presidential election with four well-qualified and distinguished candidates and a serious debate over the future of the nation! Sound impossible in this era of attack ads and strident partisanship? It happened nearly a century ago in 1912, when incumbent Republican William Howard Taft, former president Theodore Roosevelt running as the Progressive Party candidate, Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson, and Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs all spoke to major concerns of the American people and changed the landscape of national politics in the bargain. The presidential election of 1912 saw a third-party candidate finish second in both popular and electoral votes. The Socialist candidate received the highest percentage of the popular vote his party ever attained. In addition to year-round campaigning in the modern style, the 1912 contest featured a broader role for women, two exciting national conventions, and an assassination attempt on Roosevelt's life. The election defined the major parties for generations to come as the Taft-Roosevelt split pushed the Republicans to the right and the Democrats' agenda of reform set them on the road to the New Deal. Lewis L. Gould, one of America's preeminent political historians, tells the story of this dramatic race and explains its enduring significance. Basing his narrative on the original letters and documents of the candidates themselves, he guides his readers down the campaign trail through the factional splits, exciting primaries, tumultuous conventions and the turbulent fall campaign to Wilson's landslide electoral vote victory in November. It's all here-Gene Debs's challenge to capitalism, the progressive rivalry of Roosevelt and Robert La Follette, the debate between the New Freedom of Wilson and the New Nationalism of Roosevelt, and the resolve of Taft to defeat his one-time friend TR and keep the Republican Party in conservative hands. Gould combines lively anecdotes, the poetry and prose of the campaign, and insights into the clash of ideology and personality to craft a narrative that moves as fast as did the 1912 election itself. Americans sensed in 1912 that they stood at a turning point in the nation's history. Four Hats in the Ring demonstrates why the people who lived and fought this significant election were more right than they could ever have known.

When Congress declared war in April 1917, the Europeans had already deployed their third generation of fighters, equipped with machine guns and capable of speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, while the American Air Service consisted of only a handful of aviators in unarmed trainers. In this first in-depth study of America's first air warriors, Frandsen shows how in just two years the 1st Pursuit Group organized, absorbed French and British technology and experience, and became a well-led, respected, and lethal force over the trenches of the Western Front. Fascinating portraits of America’s first aviation leaders and legends, including Eddie Rickenbacker, Billy Mitchell, Frank Luke, Benjamin Foulouis, Bert Atkinson, and James Meissner, provide new and controversial perspective on one of America’s least understood wars and on the origins of the most powerful air force in history. Toxic personalities, competing French-British tactics and aircraft, and an experienced, aggressive enemy forced the Americans into a tactical crucible with deadly results, including 73 casualties in the Meuse-Argonne campaign alone.

"America suffers from a sort of intermittent fever. . . . Every fourth year there come terrible shakings, passing into the hot fit of the presidential election; then follows what physicians call 'the interval'; then the fit again." --James Bryce, The American Commonwealth, 1888 Once every four years, Americans enter into a months-long national spectacle, one with bitter battles, high drama, often hilarious blunders, and, ultimately, a victor to whom we entrust the leadership of our country. It is a process integral to the American ideals of freedom and democracy, and each election reveals a tremendous amount about where and who we are as a nation. In Hats in the Ring, Evan Cornog and Richard Whelan have created a hugely entertaining, splendidly illustrated history of every election from Washington's to Clinton's. For the first time, all the vibrancy, fanfare, and zaniness of American presidential campaigns come to life in one dazzling volume. Award-winning author Evan Cornog provides a lively narrative of the people, parties, and politics of more than two hundred years of history. Every engaging, pithy chapter is packed with fascinating information about the candidates and their campaigns. From the Wide Awakes to the Know-Nothings, fervent supporters and their candidates, including some of the greatest figures in American history--Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR--progress vividly through these pages. The visual richness of the campaigns is brought to life with more than two hundred color and black-and-white illustrations, including portraits, leaflets, cartoons, photographs, posters, campaign buttons, and other memorabilia, all selected by the eminent cultural historian Richard Whelan. He has delved deep into public and private collections to find the defining images, both classic and unfamiliar, of each election. There are portraits of heroic men beside those of also-rans, moments of triumph and shame captured by the camera, hilarious cartoons and works of art created by many of the greatest American artists, from Gilbert Stuart to Ben Shahn, Thomas Nast to Herblock. The chapter for each election provides a wonderful snapshot of United States history and culture. Short sidebars on important aspects of the development of American politics (including constitutional changes, third parties, and suffrage for blacks and women) complement the narrative throughout. There are also clear, concise charts that offer at-a-glance information on every election, including major-party candidates and electoral tallies. Presidential campaigns have provided some of the most stirring moments, poignant images, and idiosyncratic characters in our nation's annals. No matter what your political leanings are, Hats in the Ring delivers a sparkling and invaluable tour though some of the greatest episodes in American history.

Will your next leader be insignificant—or indispensable? The importance of leadership and the impact of individual leaders has long been the subject of debate. Are they made by history, or do they make it? In Indispensable, Harvard Business School professor Gautam Mukunda offers an enticingly fresh look at how and when individual leaders really can make a difference. By identifying and analyzing the hidden patterns of their careers, and by exploring the systems that place these leaders in positions of power, Indispensable sheds new light on how we may be able to identify the best leaders and what lessons we can learn, from both the process and the result. Profiling a mix of historic and modern figures—from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill and Judah Folkman—and telling the stories of how they came to power and how they made the most important decisions of their lives, Indispensable reveals how, when, and where a single individual in the right place at the right time can save or destroy the organization they lead, and even change the course of history. Indispensable will also help you understand this new model so you can use it in your own life—whether you’re a citizen casting a ballot, an executive choosing your next CEO, or a leader trying to make your mark.

On the train ride to visit his grandpa, or Papa, Henri is only interested in his game. But then George the dog steals Henri's hat upon arrival, so Henri makes chase and finds himself in front of a trunk full of hats. Henri tries on each hat . . . and imagines himself a race car driver, a sea captain, a flying ace, and more! Papa finally catches up to Henri and George, and that's when Henri hears Papa's stories, real stories, about racing, sailing, flying, and more! As Henri heads home, he looks up at the stars and begins to dream . . . of being just like Papa.