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The life of a nation is told by the lives of its people
- Over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars
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What's new
What's new: April 2022
This update features four new biographies, including George H. W. Bush, the forty-first President of the United States; First Lady Barbara Bush; Chicano rights activist and political organizer Roberto Martinez, and computer innovator Larry Tesler.
Featured
George Herbert Walker Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018) was the forty-first President of the United States. The Republican presided over the end of the Cold War and launched a war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, both of which bolstered his popularity. Still, he failed to overcome a faltering economy and poor debate performances and lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Bill Clinton. Previously Bush had served as vice president during the two-term administration of President Ronald Reagan (1981–1989). Before that, he was the Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977), the U. S. ambassador to the United Nations (1971–1973), a U. S. congressman (1967–1971), a success in the oil business, and a decorated veteran of the U. S. Navy.
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