Review of "Threshold of Empire and The Battle for Manila 1898-1899," by James H. Nelson

 Review of

Threshold of Empire and The Battle for Manila 1898-1899, by James H. Nelson, ISBN 1884570712

Five out of five

Account of a much understudied event

 There have been many significant and trajectory changing events in the history of the United States and they are generally covered in the K-12 history curriculum. One event that is generally not given the historical attention that it is due is the war between the United States and Spain in 1898 to 1899.

 It was a very short and hugely successful war in the sense that the Spanish forces were quickly and totally defeated. The American victory over the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay was arguably one of the most one-sided naval victory in the history of naval warfare. The Spanish had 9 vessels sunk with only one American ship damaged. There were nine American wounded compared to 77 Spanish dead and 271 wounded. Spanish power in Asia was destroyed forever.

 However, the key outcome of the war was the fact that America became a colonial and global power. The Spanish islands in the Caribbean were taken over, which was a logical, nearshoring  extension of American power. However, the acquisition of the Philippines, thousands of miles from the American west coast and a gateway to Asia, was something unexpected. Before the war, very few Americans could have located the Philippines on a globe. Once the decision was made to make the Philippines an American possession, the United States became a major player in Asian affairs. It can be argued that it was the initial event spawning the rivalry between the United States and Japan.

 This dramatic change and the fact that American military forces had to defeat an indigenous guerrilla force fighting for independence is something that is not given the examination that it should. American forces engaged in some very ruthless actions in subduing their opponents.

 This book is a significant addition to the history of a watershed event in American history. It is an accurate rendition of the unusual events that led to a Spanish defeat and the rise of a new colonial power that expanded its territory thousands of miles beyond its previous borders.

Review of "The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club," Nick Spark Productions

 Review of

The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club, Nick Spark Productions DVD

Five out of five stars

Great story of what should be an aviation star

 For most people, their knowledge of female aviation pioneers begins and ends with Amelia Earhart. While Earhart accomplished many things, including having an expert public relations group, she was not the best female pilot of her time. There were other women that were better pilots, and even more daring. One of those women went by the name of Pancho Barnes.

 Born Florence Leontine Lowe and into wealth, her adult life began rather traditionally when she married a minister and established a traditional home. However, after a sojourn in Mexico where she passed as a man and became involved with leftist revolutionaries, she adopted the name “Pancho.” It was a fitting choice, for she was quite revolutionary in her breaking of sexist norms.

 Pancho was such an intuitive pilot that she soloed after only six hours of instruction. She was so talented that she became a movie stunt pilot, flying with and among the most daring flyers. The work was dangerous and one of the major contributions she made was the formation of the Associated Motion Picture Pilots union that standardized pay scales and working conditions.

 Pancho broke Amelia Earhart’s speed record and after going broke at the onset of the Depression, she bought land adjacent to Muroc Field, where new planes were being tested. She created the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a dude ranch that catered to the pilots that were flying the planes. Three of the pilots that knew her well were Buzz Aldrin, Chuck Yeager and Jimmy Doolittle. Clips of comments from Aldrin and Yeager appear on this video.

 Her dynamic and revolutionary personality are captured in this video, as well as the conflicts she had with a specific Air Force commander. Her ranch house burned down under mysterious circumstances, and she had to face down trumped up charges that her ranch was a site of organized debauchery.

 Spoken of with reverence by some of the best pilots the United States has ever produced, the sheer dynamism of Pancho Barnes is captured in this video. While this is a documentary, it will be clear to all who view it that her life should be the subject of a feature film. She was a legend in her time and should be a legend for all time in the aviation industry.