The World's Best Book Summaries
Who was Charles Whitehorn? What’s his role in Killers of the Flower Moon? Charles Whitehorn was an Osage man who lived in Oklahoma in the 1920s. About a week after the murder of Osage woman Anna Brown, Whitehorn’s body was found. Ruled a homicide, the killing was part of the larger conspiracy of the tragic Osage murders. Read more to learn about Charles Whitehorn and the infamous conspiracy of which he was a victim.
What was the Osage oil murder conspiracy? Was the conspiracy ever fully exposed? In the 1920s in Oklahoma, multiple members of the Osage tribe were killed. Eventually, investigator Tom White connected several murders to each other and then to a man named William Hale. White’s investigation revealed a plot to kill the Osage for profit. Continue reading to learn about this infamous murder conspiracy.
Who was Tom White? What role did he play in the Osage investigations? Tom White, FBI agent, was the Bureau’s lead investigator for the Osage murders. A disciplined and determined agent, he brought the murderers to justice and helped solidify the FBI’s position in American law enforcement. Continue reading to learn more about Tom White and the difference he made.
What is The Hampton Institute, and how did the school help the Civil Rights movement progress? Were any Hidden Figures characters Hampton Institute alumni? The Hampton Institute, now called Hampton University, was a school where several of the women of Hidden Figures took classes or received an education. As an HBCU, Hampton was founded to provide education and training to black students who couldn’t attend white schools due to segregation. The Hampton Institute became an important site of learning and civil rights in Hidden Figures.
Who were the women of Hidden Figures? Were the Hidden Figures real women? Yes, they were real! The Hidden Figures main characters, Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson, and Mary Jackson, were all real women who contributed to both the war effort and later to NACA (NASA) in the journey to space. Read more about the women of Hidden Figures, and how they overcame obstacles to make important discoveries in science and space travel.
Are there still unsolved murder cases in Osage County? Was the conspiracy completely unmasked? The Osage murder investigation was officially closed with the conviction of William Hale and others in 1926. But Osage community members believe that those who were convicted weren’t the only perpetrators and that many deaths in Osage are unsolved murders that were part of the conspiracy. Read more to learn about the not-so-closed case of the Osage murders.
What’s the history of the Osage tribe? What was the source of their wealth? How did their wealth make them a target? The Osage tribe lived on land on which oil was discovered and drilled. In the 1920s, their wealth—or, rather, the greed of those who coveted their wealth—led to what became known as the Reign of Terror. Read more to understand what happened to the Osage tribe.
Who were NASA’s Hidden Figures? Why were they considered “hidden” and what contributions did they make? NASA’s Hidden Figures are brought to light in the book Hidden Figures. The book focuses on three outstanding women—though of course, they’re not the only ones—as the unsung heroes of space travel. Working behind the scenes as mathematicians and engineers, NASA’s Hidden Figures are part of what made space travel possible.
Who was Dorothy Hoover, and how did she contribute to changing the culture and rules at NASA? How did Dorothy Hoover help open doors for women, both black and white, to advance at NASA? Dorothy Hoover was a physicist and mathematician. One of the first black women hired as a human computer at NASA, Dorothy went on to co-publish a paper on wing design for aircraft. Her contribution helped make it possible for women to advance in NASA, once higher-ups saw the work the women were doing, and what they were capable of. Read more to find out how the
Who was Rita Smith? What was her connection to the Osage murders? Rita Smith and her husband Bill were murdered in 1923 after their house exploded. Rita’s brother-in-law and others had conspired to steal the family’s money, and nothing was going to stop them. Read more about Rita Smith and the larger conspiracy that resulted in multiple murders in Rita’s family and others.