Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions

I've enjoyed Chris's blog for several years now, so I have been looking forward to the publication date. I've got to tell you THIS BOOK IS HILARIOUS!!, but there are two caveats you should be aware of: 1) Do not use this book to cram for your American History final. 2) Do not take this book into an upscale restaurant, thinking you will read it while you are waiting for your meal to arrive. You will make a fool of yourself laughing out loud. Trust me. (The head waiter suggested that "Perhaps Monsieur would like to close ze book and sit on it." I hate it when the French are right; fortunately for the world, that almost never happens.) Several people here have referred to "Mass Historia" as the ideal coffee table book and I suppose I'll use it in that way as well. (Note to self: Get a job so you can buy a coffee table.) I learned a number of interesting historical facts that, of course, I googled and found that many are actually correct. For instance, on February 5, 1947, J. Danforth Quayle turned one day old and he "celebrates by halting any further cognitive development." Good, huh? So buy this book, already. You will not be disappointed.

Why couldn't Chris Regan have been my history teacher? I never would have dozed off in class if his lessons were anything like those found in the hilarious "Mass Historia". Then again, I may have been too dumb back then to appreciate his smart, witty look at the past. This book spans the ages, covering many of history's most notable births, deaths, wars, beheadings and touches upon milestones in everything from literature to transportation to hot wings, (first "Hooters" opens, October 4th, 1983. It's in there). It really does cover a lot of ground and keeps you laughing and engaged the whole way through. Hilarious, well illustrated, and fun. Highly recommended.

I bought this book with the idea of home schooling my children and ended up delighting myself!!! Regan delivers more laughs per page than any other living writer. Buy it.

After reading Mass Historia: 365 Days of Historical Facts and (Mostly) Fictions, all I can say is too bad there are only 365 days in the year. I did not want this book to end. The zingers come fast and furious. The writing is smart and funny. And the book is big enough to fit nicely on the coffee table, yet not too big to leave a mark on your bare thighs when you take it into the bathroom. I can't recommend this book enough.

MASS HISTORIA is one of those laugh-out-loud books that I love to have on my coffee table - it's great for people like me who love trivia but are not overly concerned with the accuracy of such! Actually, the author does give some great bits of very compelling historical facts, but the very wry humor comes first and foremost, much to his credit here. The author wrote for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, so if you like that hilarious show I bet you'd find this as funny as I do. A great example of the humor on the anniversary of the Titanic sinking: "...Of the seven hundred people who survived, many were wealthy women and children and... wealthy men willing to dress themselves up as wealthy women and children." The book's also great for picking up, having a quick laugh, and putting back down again for later - perfect for short attention spans like mine! Highly recommended.