On November 22, 1963, at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Jackie Kennedy stood in a corridor still wearing her raspberry pink Chanel suit. It was soaked in her husband's blood. His brain matter was still on her stockings, her gloves, and her hands. Lady Bird Johnson approached her and gently offered a change of clothes. … Read more
Am 8. Mai 1945 verstummten in ganz Europa die Waffen. Hitler war tot, Deutschland hatte die bedingungslose Kapitulation unterschrieben, der Krieg in Europa war offiziell vorbei. In London, Paris, New York und Moskau strömten Millionen auf die Straßen. Sie weinten, lachten, küssten Fremde, und zum ersten Mal seit Jahren läuteten wieder die Kirchenglocken. Für den … Read more
On November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, someone built a sniper's nest on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository. It was not a metaphor. Boxes of textbooks, each weighing between 40 and 65 pounds, were arranged in an L-shaped barrier along the southeast corner window. The arrangement faced Elm Street. It faced … Read more
In 1965, Harlem operated as a kingdom built on secrets. It was a city within a city, a labyrinth of brownstones and jazz clubs, of high-stakes poker games in the back rooms of barber shops and deals made in the shadows of the elevated train tracks. To the outside world, it looked like chaos. To … Read more
Am 14. Oktober 1944, einem Dienstagmorgen, wachte Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel in einem kleinen deutschen Dorf namens Herrlingen auf, versteckt in den Hügeln der Schwäbischen Alb im Süden Deutschlands. Die Luft war kalt, die Bäume verfärbten sich. Der berühmteste Soldat der gesamten deutschen Armee frühstückte mit seinem 15-jährigen Sohn und ging still durch seinen Garten. Er … Read more
In the spring of 1952, a man of 64 sat at the center of the British court and settled a question that by every natural right belonged to a father and his son. The son was 3 years old. His name was Charles. And one day he would be king. But the boy’s father, a … Read more
At dawn on the third day at the Hot Gates, a Spartan soldier combs his hair. He could be thirty or fifty; from a distance, it is impossible to tell. His bronze helmet rests in the dust beside him, and his hands move slowly through his long black hair, oiled and braided, as though he … Read more
Am 9. Dezember 1945 liegt dichter Nebel über Mannheim. Es ist ein Dienstagmorgen, sieben Monate nach dem Ende des Krieges in Europa. Die Geschütze schweigen, die Panzer stehen still. Ein Mann, der als einer der gefürchtetsten Militärkommandeure der amerikanischen Geschichte gilt, macht sich zu einer Fasanenjagd auf. Kein Schlachtfeld, keine Befehle, keine deutsche Armee am … Read more
On the evening of August 19, 1950, Bumpy Johnson walked into the Lennox Tavern at the corner of 135th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City. He was accompanied by three associates, all of them well dressed, having just finished a business meeting at a nearby restaurant. Johnson was 44 years old and had … Read more
Am 24. Dezember 1944, an Heiligabend, stieg General Heinz Guderian am Adlerhorst aus seinem Befehlszug. Das Hauptquartier Hitlers lag rund 16 Kilometer nordwestlich von Bad Nauheim im Taunus. Guderian war über Nacht aus Zossen südlich von Berlin gekommen, wo das Oberkommando des Heeres seine Operationen aus einem weit verzweigten Bunkerkomplex unter der Erde leitete. Er … Read more