Stupid American History

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 0740793543
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
New York Times Bestseller: Welcome to the land of the free, the home of the brave—and, apparently, the dumb, bizarre, and gullible . . . Did you know that . . . *John Tyler was on his knees playing marbles when he was informed that Benjamin Harrison had died and he was now president of the United States *For reasons still unknown, Texas congressman Thomas Lindsay Blanton, a Presbyterian Sunday school teacher and prohibitionist, inserted dirty words into the Congressional Record in 1921—for which his colleagues officially censured him by a vote of 293-0 *Two US presidents were indentured servants—and one of them ran away and wound up with a $10 reward posted for his capture From Columbus to George W. Bush, the bestselling coauthor of America’s Dumbest Criminals leads us through the many mythconceptions of our nation’s history in this lively book, exposing lots of entertaining moments of idiocy and inanity along the time line.

Stupid History

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 0740792105
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
A treasury of historical hilarity from the New York Times-bestselling coauthor of America’s Dumbest Criminals! Why exactly is Paul Revere revered when it was Samuel Prescott who made the famous ride? Was the lightbulb really Thomas Edison’s bright idea? Bestselling author and former Saturday Night Live writer Leland Gregory employs his masterful wit to expose historical myths, faux “facts,” strange events, and tales of human stupidity throughout history. You’ll learn that: * Magellan didn’t actually make it around the world * As a member of Parliament, Isaac Newton spoke only once, and it wasn’t exactly a statement of political brilliance for the ages * On April 24, 1898, Spain declared war on the U.S., thus starting the Spanish-American War—and then the U.S. declared war the very next day, but not wanting to be outdone, had the date on the declaration changed from April 25 to April 21 With these and many more stories, Leland Gregory once again highlights the funny side of history.

Stupid Texas

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449400388
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
New York Times best-selling author Leland Gregory is definitely messing with Texas in his book Stupid Texas. This time, Leland--who has so entertainingly highlighted humanity's stupidity in the areas of crime, business, love, politics, cruelty, and history--collects evidence to prove the widespread belief that deep in the heart of Texans lies an extraordinary capacity for absurdity. Culled from print, online, and broadcast media, Stupid Texas is an uproarious collection of true stories, trivia, and factoids about the Lone Star State, such as: * "In 1875, James Stephen Hogg, the first native-born Texan to become the state's governor, named his daughter--Ima." * In 1984, a Texas District Court judge sentenced a 31-year-old Houston man to 35 years in prison--for stealing a 12-ounce, $2 can of Spam." Ridiculous, outrageous, bizarre, and comical, Stupid Texas is ideal for both kinds of people--those who love Texas and those who hate it.

United Kingdumb

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449402038
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
From absurd 911 calls to presidential philosophizing to his New York Times best-selling Stupid American History, Leland Gregory generates the best laughs by exposing the worst of human nature. Now, Gregory--sets his sights across the pond to the United Kingdom to skewer Brits, Scots, Irish, and Welsh alike in United Kingdumb: Idiots from the British Isles. In United Kingdumb: Idiots from the British Isles, Gregory turns his eye to countryside Britons, London aristocrats, kilted Scotsmen, leprechaun-loving Irish, and the wily Welsh, all of whom are a breed apart in their affinity for the idiotic and inane. Because the stories Leland chronicles are just that unbelievable, each anecdote, quote, or factoid is presented with relevant background information--including its verified news source.

Stupid Ancient History

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449421571
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
"New York Times"-bestselling author Gregory is silly, shocking, weird, hilariously funny--and outrageously true. Gregory chronicles Greek philosophers, Roman conquerors, and historic myth conceptions.

Stupid Science

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 0740792113
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Consider these cases of misdirected human activity, each in the name of science: The Illinois Department of Conservation spent $180,000 to study the contents of owl vomit. Georgia State University psychology professor James Dabbs discovered in 1988 that trial lawyers have about 30 percent more testosterone in their bodies than normal people (regardless of gender). Dabbs stated in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology that high testosterone levels are often linked to aggressiveness and "antisocial behavior." We all knew that lawyers were full of something—now we know it's testosterone. What do stinky cheese and unclean feet have in common? They both attract mosquitoes according to a November 8, 1996 article from Reuters.

Stupid Liberals

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449410456
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 221

Book Description
Leland Gregory's 17 previous humor collections with AMP are all in print and all are staples on the humor backlist, including Stupid American History, which was a New York Times best-seller, and Stupid History, which has shipped over 130,000 copies. Silly, shocking, weird, and hilariously funny, the one- or two-paragraph anecdotes that comprise Gregory's new anthology of stupid things said and done by American liberals--politicians, citizens, journalists, professionals, workers, anyone who stands to the left of center--are culled from print, online, and broadcast media from all over the world. Here's a sample: * Residents of Longmont, Colorado, voted to abolish all "Dead End" signs and replace them with "No Outlet" signs. The local citizenry felt the "Dead End" signs were too unpleasant.

Stupid California

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 1449400361
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
Best-selling author Leland Gregory--who has so entertainingly highlighted humanity's stupidity in the areas of crime, business, love, politics, cruelty, and history--is back with Stupid California. This time, Gregory builds a case for the common suspicion that Californians, from movie moguls to beach bums, have a special affinity for idiocy. Culled from print, online, and broadcast sources, Stupid California is a hilarious collection of true stories, trivia, and factoids about the Golden State, such as: * "California's state animal is the California grizzly bear, which is also on the state flag. The bear was honored in 1953, a full 31 years after the last known bear in the state was killed." * "During the 1980s, in a bold stroke against terrorism, the Chico City Council banned nuclear weapons, enacting a mandatory $500 fine for anyone detonating a nuclear weapon within city limits." Silly, shocking, weird, and amusing, Stupid California is ideal for both kinds of people--those who love California and those who hate it.

A Short History of Stupid

Author: Helen Razer
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1743437234
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 297

Book Description
Alain de Botton meets Russell Brand in this glorious rant about everything that drives you mad about the modern world. How did everything get so dumb? How did we become hostages to idiocy? What must we do to be freed from a captor whose ransom note simply reads, 'D'oh'? The deteriorating quality of our public debate and the dwindling of common sense in media, politics and culture can drive you to despair and rage. It certainly drove writers Helen Razer and Bernard Keane to a desperate act: befriending each other for long enough to write a book. Join forces with these uneasy allies to fight against a world that has lost its reason. Explore what's behind the remorseless spread of idiocy, and why there's just so much damn Stupid around you. Stupid isn't just ignorance; it's not just laziness. Worse than the absence of thought, Stupid is a virus that drains our productivity and leaves us sick and diminished. And Stupid has a long, complex and terrible past, one we need to understand in order to defeat it. A Short History of Stupid traces the origins of this maddening ill, examining the different ways in which we've been afflicted over the last three thousand years. It damns those who have spread Stupid and celebrates the brave few who resisted. It shows how Stupid tightens the grubby grip of the foolish around our throats. Hilarious, smart, unpleasant, infuriating and rude, A Short History of Stupid is at once a provocation and a comfort. It will spark debate, soothe the terminally frustrated and outrage the righteously Stupid. It is a book whose Stupid time has come.

Stupid on the Road

Author: Leland Gregory
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 9780740779138
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
New York Times best-selling author Leland Gregory (Stupid History, Stupid American History) presents his 15th collection of silly, weird, shocking, amusing anecdotes highlighting all the hilarious, weird situations that occur on planes, trains, buses, and especially cars. Stupid on the Road: Idiots on Planes, Trains, Buses, and Cars, the compilation of human stupidity from New York Times best-selling author Leland Gregory, is a riotous collection of the unbelievably bizarre events and behavior that result when people strap themselves in behind the wheel. This time, Leland--who so entertainingly highlighted humanity's stupidity in the areas of crime, business, love, politics, cruelty, and history--turns his attention to idiots on the road and in the air. For instance, here are actual statements given by insurance policyholders describing their automobile accidents: "A pedestrian hit me and went under my car." "The guy was all over the place. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him." These true stories, from the strange to the outrageous to the just-plain dumb, will have you shaking your head at the wacky misadventures that have occurred as people attempt to get from point A to point B.