The 1992 film version of The Last of the Mohicans has one of the best and well-known musical scores ever done for a movie.
“Hidden History” is a diary series that explores forgotten and little-known areas of history.
Put on some headphones and turn up the volume:
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James Fenimore Cooper was born in New Jersey in 1789. When he was only a year old, his family moved to upstate New York, where they founded the town of Coopersville and his father was elected to the US Congress. James proved to be a remarkably intelligent young man, entering Yale University at age 13. But he also had a deep rebellious streak, and was kicked out of the University after three years, after pulling a number of pranks involving donkeys and exploding doors. In 1806 the 17-year old Cooper joined the crew of a sailing ship, and five years later enlisted in the US Navy. When his father died, Cooper inherited a substantial sum of money, and also married a wealthy heiress.
Returning to upstate New York, Cooper became interested in the area’s historical sites, which included battlefields from the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. He also heard several stories firsthand from one of his neighbors, the statesman John Jay.
Inspired by these stories, in 1820 Cooper wrote his first novel, titled Precaution, a historical romance in the style of Jane Austen. Written under a female pen name, it was a commercial failure. Undaunted, Cooper tried again a year later with The Spy, a historical novel set during the Revolutionary War. This was a success, and Cooper went on to begin a five-part series of novels, set in the frontier towns and wilderness of northern New York. The series was called “The Leatherstocking”, and…