"Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries--reading about the remarkable lives of global leaders, Hollywood heavyweights, and innovators who changed the world. But not every notable life has gotten the send-off it deserves. His quest to right that wrong inspired Mobituaries, his #1 hit podcast. Now with Mobituaries, the book, he has gone much further, with all new essays on artists, entertainers, sports stars, political pioneers, founding fathers, and more. Even if you know the names, you've never understood why they matter...until now. Take Herbert Hoover: before he was president, he was the "Great Humanitarian," the man who saved tens of millions from starvation. But after less than a year in the White House, the stock market crashed, and all the good he had done seemed to be forgotten. Then there's Marlene Dietrich, well remembered as a screen goddess, less remembered as a great patriot. Alongside American servicemen on the front lines during World War II, she risked her life to help defeat the Nazis of her native Germany. And what about Billy Carter and history's unruly presidential brothers? Were they ne'er-do-well liabilities...or secret weapons? Plus, Mobits for dead sports teams, dead countries, the dearly departed station wagon, and dragons. Yes, dragons. Rocca is an expert researcher and storyteller. He draws on these skills here. With his dogged reporting and trademark wit, Rocca brings these men and women back to life like no one else can. Mobituaries is an insightful and unconventional account of the people who made life worth living for the rest of us, one that asks us to think about who gets remembered, and why."-- Provided by publisher.

Forgotten forerunner, the Aviatrix: Bessie Coleman {1892-1926} -- Death of a Career: Vaughn Meader {1936-2004}; The Story of Melba Moore's ill'fated sitcom (1986-1986); Where's Chuck? The Graveyard of disappeared and dead sitcom characters: Judy Winslow, "Family Matters"; Chico Rodrigues, "Chico and the Man"; Martin, "Love, Sidney"; Susan Ross, "Seinfeld"; The cast of "Bewitched"; Mr. Hooper, "Sesame Street"; Becky Conner, "Roseanne"; Chuckles the Clown, "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"; Opie's mother, "The Andy Griffith Show; Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, "M*A*S*H" -- Died the Same Day: Farrah Fawcett {1947-2009} and Michael Jackson {1958-2009} and other famous people who died the same day: Mahatma Gandhi & Orville Wright; John Adams & Thomas Jefferson; Ingmar Bergman & Michelangelo Antonioni; Sammy Davis Jr. & Jim Henson; Dick Sargent & Kim Il Sung; Orson Welles & Yul Brynner; William Shakespeare & Miguel de Cervantes; Margaret Thatcher & Annette Funicello; River Phoenix & Federico Fellini; Dudley Moore, Milton Berle, & Billy Wilder; Cecil B. DeMille & Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer -- Death of a Leviathan: The Station Wagon {1949-2011} and other things from the '70s that could've killed us: McDonald's collectible drinking glasses; Quaaludes; Alar; Shag carpeting; Jarts; Electric blankets; UFFI -- Forgotten forerunner: The first Great Wall: Hadrian's Wall {128-1746} -- Celebrities who put their butts on the line: Elizabeth Taylor {1932-2011}, Marlene Dietrich {1901-1992}, and Lord Byron {1788-1824} and other people famous for more than one thing: Paul WInchell; William Howard Taft; Harold Sakata; Johnny Weissmuller; Hedy Lamarr; Matthew Fontaine Maury; Carlton Cole Magee; Alan Thicke; Bert Convy -- Death of a Tree: the Live Oaks of Toomer's Corner {1937-2013} and other trees felled too soon: The world's first Christmas tree; The tree of Ténéré; Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree; The Giving Tree; The Spaghetti Tree; The Senator; Augustine Washington's Cherry Tree -- Dedication: Marcel "Jack" Rocca {1929-2004}.