The Wright Brothers
Aviation Pioneers and Inventors
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Orville and Wilbur Wright are best known for their historic flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their achievement inspired Americans of all ages, but it also brought forth a host of competitors, and the Wright brothers had to struggle to get the credit they deserved. The airplane, however, was just one of a long list of the brothers' accomplishments. The author details the Wright brothers' impact on history as they set out to prove what others had thought impossible-that human beings could fly.
Benjamin Franklin
Statesman and Inventor
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
This book describes the life and contributions of the man who helped make France an ally of the American colonies to win the Revolutionary War. Franklin was also a leader in studying electricity, wrote POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC, and served as a member of the Constitutional Convention.
Jefferson Davis
Soldier and President of the Confederacy
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
As president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis played a key role in the South's unsuccessful attempt to separate from the Union during the Civil War. This book traces the life of the Confederate leader from his childhood in Mississippi, to his years as a United States politician, through the Civil War, and his attempt to rebuild his life and reputation after the Confederacy was defeated by the Union.
Mary Todd Lincoln
Civil War's First Lady
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Author Mary E. Hull traces the life of one of America's most controversial First Ladies. After her husband, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln became a frequent target of humiliating personal attacks, and her mental health declined sharply. Many people, including her own son, thought she was insane. An outspoken, strong woman, Mary Todd Lincoln faced many hardships and struggled with a sadness that would end only with her own death.
Jim Bowie
Legendary Hero of the Alamo
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
This book follows the life of Jim Bowie from his childhood on the American frontier to his courageous death at the Alamo. Highlighting the spirit of adventure that led Bowie to Mexico and involved him in the war for Texas independence, author Ann Graham Gaines examines the personal side of this legendary frontiersman.
Thomas Alva Edison
American Inventor and Businessman
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Ellen M. Dolan explores the life and career of America's best inventor. Focusing on Edison's development from his early years as a telegraph operator to a powerful and influential businessman, it shows how Edison's inquisitive nature helped him become an inventor with over a thousand registered patents and become popularly known as the "Wizard of Menlo Park."
Susan B. Anthony
Fighter for Women's Voting Rights
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Susan B. Anthony defied the law in an era when it was illegal for women to vote. After casting a vote in the 1872 election, and being arrested for it, she worked closely with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and traveled across the United States promoting women's rights.
Paul Revere
American Patriot
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Renowned for his silversmithing, his ride from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn that the British were attacking made Paul Revere famous. However, Paul Revere was also involved with other events that led to the American Revolution.
Alexander Graham Bell
Scientist and Inventor
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish immigrant whose interest in helping the hearing-impaired led him to become not only an influential and respected teacher of the deaf, but the inventor of the telephone. This title examines Bell's life from his roots in Scotland, through his immigration to America, to his teaching experiences and inventions, his success with the telephone, and his later work toward inventing a flying machine. It highlights Bell's personal life and dedication to helping people, showing how he used his talents to help such famous Americans as Helen Keller and President James A. Garfield, who had been shot by an assassin.
Jane Addams
Social Worker and Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Jane Addams was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of her involvement with the world peace movement in the early twentieth century. Highlighting Addams's lifelong determination to use her life productively and to help those less fortunate than herself, this book shows how Addams put her education and experiences to work in establishing Chicago's Hull House, one of the first settlement houses in the United States, where she ran programs to assist the urban poor on a daily basis.
Martha Washington
Legendary First Lady of the United States
by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
This book traces the life of the wife of first president George Washington from her childhood in Virginia, to her marriage to Daniel Parke Custis and her years as a wealthy widow, through her marriage to Washington. It highlights her role in supporting Washington through the years of the American Revolution, showing how she set standards to be followed by future First Ladies throughout American history.
Andrew Carnegie
Industrialist and Philanthropist
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish immigrant who rose from humble roots to become one of the most powerful and wealthy businessmen in the United States, with a steel empire that dwarfed all its competitors. Highlighting Carnegie's determination to succeed, author Zachary Kent shows how Carnegie, after becoming one of the wealthiest men in the world, gave away most of his fortune to philanthropic causes, building libraries and such famous landmarks as Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Buffalo Bill Cody
Legend of the Wild West
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
The life of William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody is part of the legend of the American West. This book traces his life from his youth in Kansas, through his careers as a Pony Express rider and military scout, to his creation of the traveling Wild West show. It explores the myths that surround Buffalo Bill as a memorable figure in the development of the western United States.
Robert E. Lee
Commander of the Confederate Army
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
One of the most beloved figures in American History, Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. This "Southern gentleman's" successes against overwhelming odds were a result of his bold strategies.
Daniel Boone
American Pioneer and Frontiersman
Part of the Legendary American Biographies series
Author Pat McCarthy explores the fascinating life of the man who blazed trails, built towns, and learned the ways of the American Indians well enough to be adopted as one of them. Showing the many myths and legends that have developed about Daniel Boone throughout history, McCarthy helps separate fact from fiction in the life of the great early American pioneer who is best known for having opened the Wilderness Road to the West.
