Comic History of the United States
Bill Nye turned American history into a punchline, and the result is unexpectedly delightful. This late-19th-century comic history takes the grand narrative of Columbus discovering America, Queen Isabella pawning her jewelry to fund the voyage, and the founding fathers improvising a republic and treats them with affectionate irreverence. Nye humanizes historical figures not by glorifying them but by showing their quirks, doubts, and decidedly unglamorous motivations. The humor operates on multiple levels: it's absurd enough to amuse children, witty enough for adults, and sharp enough to comment on how nations construct their own myths. What elevates this beyond mere parody is Nye's underlying affection for his subject. He's not destroying American history; he's rescuing it from the marble statues and making it live again. Written in an era when Americans could laugh at their own origin story without getting offended, this stands as a charming time capsule of a more confident national imagination. Perfect for readers who want their history with a sense of humor.
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“America had many other discoverers besides Columbus, but he seems to have made more satisfactory arrangements with the historians than any of the others.””
— Bill Nye
“he was speaking to them publicly in a tone of reprimand, he got an ovation in the way of eggs and codfish, both of which had been set aside for that purpose when the country was new, and therefore had an air of antiquity which cannot be successfully imitated.””
— Bill Nye
“So remarkably deaf was my grandfather Squeers That he had to wear lightning-rods over his ears To even hear thunder, and oftentimes then He was forced to request it to thunder again.””
— Bill Nye
![Night Watches [complete]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3b2n8gj62qnwr.cloudfront.net%2FCOVERS%2Fgutenberg_covers75k%2Febook-12161.png&w=3840&q=75)
