death and burial

On November 21, 1961, Michael C. Rockefeller, the twenty-three year old son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, vanished off the coast of southwest New Guinea when his catamaran capsized while crossing a turbulent river mouth. He was on an expedition to collect art for the Museum of Primitive Art, which his father founded in 1957. Michael's expedition partner stayed with the capsized boat and was rescued. Michael did not, instead choosing to swim for help. His last words were "I think I can make it". But he did not. For fifty-plus years, Michael's fate remained unknown. The official verdict was that he drowned. But rumors circulated that he had made it to shore and then was killed and eaten by the Asmat, a native tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, reciprocal violence, headhunting, and ritual cannibalism.

On June 8, 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine disappeared into the mists of history on Mount Everest. In 1999, Mallory's body was found high on the mountain and Irvine's body is believed to still be up there. Graham Hoyland's 1993 climb led to the discovery of Mallory's body.

In 2009, the world was startled with scientific DNA proof that the skull and bones Russia claimed were Hitler's since the end of World War II, actually belonged to a middle-aged woman whose identity remains unknown. The news rekindled interest in the claim Joseph Stalin maintained to the end of his life that Hitler got away. The truth is that no one saw Hitler and Eva Braun die in the Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945 and no definitive physical evidence exists proving Hitler died there.

Roberto Clemente intimidated major leage pitchers for eighteen seasons, compiling three thousand hits. Bue what Clemente did off the baseball field made him equally great. One of the first sports stars to realize that the power of sports could be used to transform thousands of lives he would give his own life when the plane he was on crashed in the Atlantic Ocean as he was trying to deliver supplies to earthquake-sticken Nicaragua in 1972.

A memoir of a former member of Navy SEAL Team 6 about his career in the military, including his firsthand account of the successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden.

The author reflects upon the life and death of his father, mountain climber John Harlin II, and discusses his decision to attempt to climb the Eiger, the mountain from which his father fell.

For more than 2,000 years, the great pharaoh Cleopatra VII has been portrayed as a failed monarch. In this myth busting book, a fresh interpretation of history is brought to light. It challenges the long held myth that Cleopatra committed suicide to avoid humiliation.