Secret Heroes: Everyday Americans Who Shaped Our World - Paperback

by Paul Martin (Author)

Secret Heroes is a remarkable compendium by Paul Martin, former Executive Editor of National Geographic Traveler, that illuminates the lives of thirty forgotten American heroes. Gathering together remarkable stories about unknown champions, explorers, inventors, and innovators who never made the pages of American history textbooks--not George Washington, but the tailor who saved his life...twice; the first African-American combat pilot; the 62-year-old female muckraking journalist who refused to turn her back on injustice--Secret Heroes is just the sort of fascinating and fun popular history that readers love, not unlike Kenneth C. Davis's bestselling Don't Know Much About(R) series and Rick Beyer's The Greatest Stories Never Told.

Discover the untold stories of the spies, inventors, and humanitarians who shaped our world:

• Revolutionary War Spy: Meet Hercules Mulligan, the tailor whose quick thinking saved George Washington from capture not once, but twice.
• Civil War Espionage: Uncover the story of Mary Bowser, a former slave who became a Union spy inside the Confederate White House.
• Pioneering Aviator: Learn about Eugene Bullard, the son of a former slave who became the world's first black combat pilot in WWI.
• Secret Inventor: The astonishing tale of Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr, whose secret invention of frequency-hopping technology paved the way for modern wireless communication.
• Unsung Heroes of History: Plus, profiles of a fierce muckraking journalist, the Choctaw Code Talkers who baffled the German army, and many more everyday Americans whose legacies deserve to be remembered.

Front Jacket

Not all American heroes appear in the standard history texts. Their achievements aren't celebrated like the monumental exploits of presidents, generals, and founding fathers. But for as long as this great nation has existed, ordinary citizens have done extraordinary things. In Secret Heroes, author Paul Martin spotlights thirty overlooked Americans, all of whom had an impact on their world and ours, including:

Hercules Mulligan, the New York tailor and spy who saved George Washington's life . . . twice!

Jimmie Angel, the gold-seeking bush pilot who, in 1933, discovered the world's highest waterfall in Venezuela.

Carl Akeley, a pioneering taxidermist who killed a leopard with his bare hands and inspired Africa's first national park.

Eliza Scidmore, who convinced the government to plant cherry trees in Washington, D.C. . . . after twenty-four years of lobbying!

Back Jacket

Not all American heroes appear in the standard history texts. Their achievements aren't celebrated like the monumental exploits of presidents, generals, and founding fathers. But for as long as this great nation has existed, ordinary citizens have done extraordinary things. In Secret Heroes, author Paul Martin spotlights thirty overlooked Americans, all of whom had an impact on their world and ours, including:

Hercules Mulligan, the New York tailor and spy who saved George Washington's life . . . twice!

Jimmie Angel, the gold-seeking bush pilot who, in 1933, discovered the world's highest waterfall in Venezuela.

Carl Akeley, a pioneering taxidermist who killed a leopard with his bare hands and inspired Africa's first national park.

Eliza Scidmore, who convinced the government to plant cherry trees in Washington, D.C. . . . after twenty-four years of lobbying!