Kenneth C. Davis, author of the phenomenal New York Times bestseller Don't Know Much About History, presents a collection of extraordinary stories, each detailing an overlooked episode that shaped the nation's destiny and character. Davis's dramatic narratives set the record straight, busting myths and bringing to light little-known but fascinating facts from a time when the nation's fate hung in the balance.

Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's inauguration in 1789, America's Hidden History details these episodes, among others:

• The story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists
• The coming-of-age story of Queen Isabella, who suggested that Columbus pack the moving mess hall of pigs that may have spread disease to many Native Americans
• The long, bloody relationship between the Pilgrims and Indians that runs counter to the idyllic scene of the Thanksgiving feast
• The little-known story of George Washington as a headstrong young soldier who committed a war crime, signed a confession, and started a war!

Full of color, intrigue, and human interest, America's Hidden History is an iconoclastic look at America's past, connecting some of the dots between history and today's headlines, proving why Davis is truly America's Teacher.

Isabella's Pigs...

1469

Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon are married.

1492

The Reconquest (la reconquista) forces the last Moors out of Spain.

As part of a revived Inquisition, all Jews are forced to convert or leave Spain.

Christopher Columbus arrives in the Caribbean; he names Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and founds the settlement of La Navidad.

1497

John Cabot, an Italian sailing for England, sights North America, probably around Newfoundland, and claims the territory for England.

1501

Amerigo Vespucci, sailing for Portugal, reaches the South American coast. Upon his return, he writes to his patron, Lorenzo de' Medici, that he has voyaged to a "new world." A mapmaker attaches Amerigo's name to the New World.

1509

Henry VIII is crowned king of England and marries Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella.

1516

King Ferdinand dies; Charles I, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, inherits the Spanish throne.

1528

Pánfilo de Narváez, accompanied by Cabeza de Vaca, leads a Spanish attempt to conquer Florida.

1531

King Henry VIII divorces Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy declares the king to be the head of the Church of England, completing the break with Rome.

1536

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is published, expanding the Protestant Reformation.

1539-1543

Hernando de Soto leads a Spanish army through the Southeast; de Soto dies on the banks of the Mississippi on May 21, 1542.

1553

Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, becomes queen of England. In 1554, she marries Philip II, the future king of Spain, but dies childless in 1558.

1556

Philip II becomes king of Spain.

1558

Queen Elizabeth I succeeds her half sister Queen Mary.

1564

French Huguenots establish Fort Caroline near the St. Johns River in Florida.

1565

St. Augustine, Florida, founded.

Fort Caroline massacre.

1588

The Spanish Armada is defeated by a smaller British fleet...

Kenneth C. Davis is the best-selling author of Don't Know Much About History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold nearly 1.5 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About® series for adults and children. Davis appears frequently in the media, has spoken at the Smithsonian Museum and American Museum of Natural History, and has written for the New York Times and Newsday, among other publications. He has also contributed to NPR's All Things Considered. He lives in New York City and Dorset, Vermont.