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The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel
- Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
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This instant New York Times bestselling “dynamic detective story” (The New York Times) reveals the hidden history Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.
September 29, 1913: the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.
After rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
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Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
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They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
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The Girls of Atomic City
- The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians - many of them young women from small towns across the South - were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains.
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Important story of this secret city
- By CBlox on 11-14-13
By: Denise Kiernan
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Helter Skelter
- The True Story of the Manson Murders
- By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
- By karen on 06-22-12
By: Vincent Bugliosi, and others
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Strategy
- A History
- By: Lawrence Freedman
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 32 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.
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Comprehensive 'Tour de Force' on Strategy
- By Logical Paradox on 07-20-14
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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They began operations out of England in the spring of '43. They flew their Flying Fortresses almost daily against strategic targets in Europe in the name of freedom. Their astonishing courage and appalling losses earned them the name that resounds in the annals of aerial warfare and made the "Bloody Hundredth" a legend. Harry H. Crosby—soon to be portrayed by Anthony Boyle in the miniseries Masters of the Air developed by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg—arrived with the very first crews, and left with the very last.
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Off the coast of Oregon, the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean and forms the Columbia River Bar: a watery collision so turbulent and deadly that it’s nicknamed the Graveyard of the Pacific. Two thousand ships have been wrecked on the bar since the first European ship dared to try to cross it. Since then, the commercial importance of the Columbia River has only grown, but despite the construction of jetties on either side, the bar remains treacherous.
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What listeners say about The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Richard Rost
- 09-26-23
Excellent
Well done and well read. Enjoy Scott Brick and the history of machines. If love history and mystery you’ll like this.
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3 people found this helpful
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- John
- 10-05-23
Worth Your Time, But ...
In many respects this is really a good book. Rudolf Diesel has largely been forgotten in the sands of time, and that really is not fair. He was an amazing scientist and Brunt makes the case convincingly that the diesel engine was a major scientific leap forward.
The history and context of the era are also well-done, as is the biographical sketch of Rudolf Diesel and his family.
Where the book may get off track is in its speculation about Rudolf's mysterious disappearance in 1913. I don't want to spoil the story, but will leave you to be the judge of that.
There are also some serious omissions. There were not "diesel submarines"--there were diesel electric submarines (still are) that operated with diesel engines on the surface and electric motors while submerged. The book also suggests that diesel engines burn very clean--and maybe they do compared to coal--but there is no mention of the recent emissions scandals. These are kind of glaring omissions in a book about a technical achievement, at least to me.
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- Burns
- 10-02-23
Great story!
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I. Douglas Brunt. Atria Books, 2023. 384 pages.
Like the author, Douglas Brunt, I initially knew next to nothing about Rudolf Diesel, what a diesel engine actually is, or how the invention of the engine was really one of the greatest technological advances in human development. I also had no idea that Diesel's body was fished out of the North Sea in 1913. He was on a steamship headed from Belgium to the UK when he mysteriously disappeared. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder?
Diesel's engine was absolutely revolutionary. It was powerful and efficient. It cut down on noxious fumes and smoke created by burning coal and traditional petroleum products. It could power factories and vehicles. It allowed for immediate starts. It could be fueled by nut or vegetable oils. It transformed military and commercial navies, provided more power and speed, saved space once taken up by tons of coal, eliminated the need for many refueling stops and for the dozens of crewmen who were normally required to shovel coal, and making submarines more feasible. All of these factors made Rudolf Diesel the leading engineering superstar of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Did his engine also make him the target of a murder plot?
The chief suspects were very powerful men. John D. Rockefeller saw the diesel engine as an existential threat to his business and to his fortune. Kaiser Wilhelm II was determined to make Germany a world superpower, taking over the UK's supremacy. Although his ancestral home and home for much of his life was Germany, Diesel preferred to think of himself as a "citizen of the world" rather than a German. He worked to make his technology accessible in every country. He was on his way to the UK to offer support to that country's growing submarine development program. Did Rockefeller of Wilhelm decide to eliminate the engineer ?
Douglas Brunt's book is an excellent biography of Diesel, and it tells the story of the engine's development, both the science and the business, without bogging down into too much technical detail. He explains the significance of the engine and expertly puts it into the context of the age, the eve of WWI, with great insights into the lives and personalities of Rockefeller and Wilhelm, with sketches of Edison, Ford, Marconi and others along the way. Finally, he puts forward his own theory as to what happened. I highly recommend this book.
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- Gideon Rosenberg
- 11-19-23
I never knew
There is a lot of history here. I had no idea all these things happened the coincidences. It has been a great learning experience. Thank you, Gideon, Rosenberg, Georgia.
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- Tyffany
- 11-06-23
Amazing History
Thank you,
Great story, interesting, so much is lost in history that we never learn about.
It’s sad they’re pushing all electric vehicle that won’t work to get rid of petroleum products, when we already have a diesel engine that will run on corn oil or vegetable oil , no petroleum fuel needed. I guess that would be to simple.
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- Josh
- 11-24-23
What an amazing man who didn’t get credit for changing the world!
This book was really amazing regarding a titan of a many who doesn’t get any credit for his brilliance and for changing the world.
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-26-23
Not a huge non-fiction fan, but…
I thought this was a great engaging read! My daughter works for a large engine company and I bought her the book because I thought she would find it just as interesting!
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- Tad Hope
- 10-26-23
Compelling story…
I had extra long dog walks thanks to Mr. diesel! I could not put the story down.
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- Lauren V
- 10-30-23
History contextualized for the audience
Well researched and written. Big return on a small investment of time. First experience with this author. Will look at his other works as a result of experiencing this one.
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- Melodee
- 12-09-23
Brilliantly told historic novel
The author brilliantly lays out historical events in context that often eludes me in other books. He builds the puzzle for you, while keeping it fast-paced and entertaining. This is also my favorite Scott Brick performance.
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