Monumental Milestones
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The Fall of the Berlin Wall
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
There is perhaps no greater symbol of both political oppression and the human spirit of the twentieth century than the Berlin Wall. Built during the height of the Cold War in 1961, the Wall was meant to both stop the number of citizens trying to leave East Germany for the freedoms and opportunities of the West and to prevent people spreading the ideals of democracy from coming in. In the 28 years the Wall stood, it is estimated over 1,000 people were killed trying to escape into West Berlin. In the end, the Wall fell without a shot being fired. As Mikhail Gorbachev was laying the foundations for the peaceful dismantling of the Soviet Union, the people of East Berlin and East Germany began demanding their city and country be freed from Soviet occupation. Finally, in November 1989, the Wall was torn down and Germany was once again reunited. This is the story of the dark rise and the eventual uplifting triumph over the Wall that split not only a city and nation, but friends and families.
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The Russian Revolution, 1917
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
For centuries, ordinary Russians lived under the absolute power of the czars, the country's hereditary rulers. For many, such a life involved few rights and grinding poverty. The Russian people increasingly wanted a greater voice in the way they were governed and a higher standard of living. These desires put pressure on the government of the czars. The civil unrest finally came to a head in 1917. The last czar, Nicholas II, was overthrown in what history calls the Russian Revolution. But the government still wasn't stable. Russians realized they had no more freedom under the new communist government than they had had under the czars. Find out about the events that led up to the Russian Revolution, one of the landmark events of the twentieth century, and the decades of conflict that followed.
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The Fall of the Soviet Union, 1991
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Soviet history begins with bloodshed, oppression, and strife. Civil War stained the Russian landscape with the blood of its people after Nicholas II abdicated his throne to a provisional government. The Bolsheviks wanted Russia, and eventually they took her. Peasants became citizens with rights, but the truth is, the civil war only changed the name of their oppressor, from czar to Communist dictator. After decades of isolation and sometimes harsh living conditions, Mikhail Gorbachev ushered in an age of reform, but in doing so, he made enemies. Then, Boris Yeltsin championed reform and the rights of the people. When Communist hard-liners made one last effort to regain control, Yeltsin held his ground. Unlike its birth, the death of the Soviet Union saw little bloodshed. After seventy years, even the Communist hard-liners no longer had the stomach for killing citizens to keep control. The union dissolved in 1991.
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Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Story of Chuck Yeager
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Chuck Yeager loved to fly. His determination led him to be a fighter and test pilot. He flew as often as he could in any craft he could. Eventually, he became the expert on military aircraft. He knew just what each plane could do, and more importantly, what it couldnt. As important as knowing how far he could push a plane, he also knew when to pull back. His pioneering efforts in breaking the sound barrier made modern aviation and space exploration possible.
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Building the Panama Canal
by Russell Roberts
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The building of the Panama Canal was one of the great engineering feats of the twentieth century. For hundreds of years, mankind had dreamed about cutting through the Isthmus of Panama to build a canal, but the jungle, insects, and the damp, humid conditions had always combined to defeat any and all attempts to construct the waterway. It took the discovery of the mosquito as a disease carrier, the tenacity of the workmen, and the single-minded stubbornness of Theodore Roosevelt to make the canal dream a reality. But if the canal made some men great, it also destroyed the lives of others. That was the sad fate of Count Ferdinand de Lesseps of France, a national hero who had done the impossible by building the Suez Canal, then failed in Panama. The fate of de Lesseps is as much the story of the Panama Canal as is the success of Roosevelt.
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The Civil Rights Movement
by Rebecca Thatcher Murcia
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
At the time that Rosa Parks decided not to get out of her bus seat in 1955, African Americans across the United States were treated like second-class citizens. Sometimes they were not even considered citizens. They were not allowed to use white-only restaurants or hotels. They were kept out of public schools, parks, and swimming pools. And perhaps most importantly, they were not allowed to vote.Over the course of the next decade, African Americans and their white supporters organized a movement that changed American society profoundly. They marched. They sat-in. They lobbied for new laws. They fought in the courts. It took incredible courage. While the activists tried to be nonviolent, their efforts were often met with beatings and even murder.But in just a few years' time, the United States was a different country. The Jim Crow system that prevented African Americans from being full citizens of their own country was gone. It is a remarkable story, full of heroes known and unknown.
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The Watergate Scandal
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Under the cover of darkness, a team of burglars broke into the Democratic National Committees headquarters at the Watergate Hotel. By a fluke, they were discovered by an observant security guard and arrested. At first glance it appeared nothing more than a random break-in. But when two Washington Post reporters began digging deeper into the background of the burglars, the trail led higher and higher and eventually straight to the White Houseand into the Oval Office.As the Watergate scandal unraveled, it turned into one of the United States greatest Constitutional crises, pitting the judicial system against a paranoid President who believed he was above the law. When secret tapes of conversations between President Richard Nixon and his top aides were discovered, it proved that the White House was running a shadow government, leaving Nixon no choice but to resign or face certain impeachment. The Watergate scandal is a story of the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of a free press to be the publics eyes and ears.
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The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Cold War Goes Hot
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The United States and the Soviet Union were two of the nations that defeated Nazi Germany in World War II. Yet their systems of government were completely different. These differences soon developed into the Cold War. Both sides became bitter enemies. But there was no actual fighting. That situation nearly changed in 1961. The Soviets secretly installed missiles with nuclear warheads in Cuba. These missiles could reach many cities in the United States. When President John F. Kennedy learned about these weapons, he confronted Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. The world teetered on the brink of a nuclear war. This is the story of that chilling event.
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Overview of the Korean War
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Photographs and easy to follow text present a historical overview of the Korean War which began when North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel to invade South Korea in 1950 and includes a chronology timeline and glossary.
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Overview of the Persian Gulf War, 1990
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Examines the events of the Persian Gulf War in 1990 from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in early August to the ceasefire on Thursday February 28 1991.
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The Story of the Underground Railroad
by Kaavonia Hinton
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
No one really knows when the Underground Railroad began, but we do know this network of blacks, whites, Native Americans, and others helped thousands of escapees reach free land. Find out about the secret world of conductors, agents, and stations that helped enslaved people in North America gain freedom, from the mid 1600s through the end of the Civil War.
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The Story of September 11, 2001
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
It was a beautiful late summer morning, the kind of day even busy New Yorkers took a moment to appreciate. The sky was spectacularly clear, tinted an azure blue, the air stirred by a gentle breeze. The mood of the city seemed optimistic as people hurried down the crowded streets on their way to work. Then the world as people knew it changed forever. The attack on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and New York City's World Trade Center by three fuel-laden, hijacked airplanes was the worst attack ever on mainland American soil. The nation watched in horror as the events were captured by video and live news coverage. The attacks temporarily brought the nation to a stop, both emotionally and literally, or the first time, all commercial flights were grounded. Ironically, the attacks intended to undercut America's way of life only served to reinforce its core values. And out of the carnage of that day came acts of unspeakable bravery, uncommon courage, and true heroism.
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The Vietnam War
by Karen Bush Gibson
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The Vietnam War sparkled one of the most controversial periods in American history. Although Vietnam had been fighting for its independence for thousands of years, the United States didn't enter the picture until the 1950s. Increasing tensions between North and South Vietnam officially brought the U.S. into the war in 1964. At the same time, a military draft was instituted. People struggled to understand the role of the U.S. in Vietnam. Americans began learning more about the Vietnam War through television. As the first "televised" war, Americans were treated to horrific scenes with their evening news. Popular magazines and newspapers published the effects of battle on their front pages. These images added to the antiwar sentiment. Meanwhile, three million U.S. troops faced constant danger in a war eventually determined to be "unwinnable." After more than 58,000 American soldiers were killed, the U.S. finally pulled out of Vietnam in 1973, and South Vietnam fell in 1975. The effects of the war would last much longer. Book jacket.
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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 1954
by Kaavonia Hinton
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
After slavery ended, former slaves gained greater access to education, and free schools became available to children and adults. Over time, free schooling for African Americans in the South began to decrease, and the South became completely segregated. To make matters worse, in the court case Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was legal. Believing the ruling was unconstitutional, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hired lawyers like Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall to fight against segregation in schools. The NAACP started to look for African American parents who had children in public schools that were not equal to white schools. The five cases that make up Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, were heard by the Supreme Court. The Court s 1954 ruling completely changed the direction of American education.
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The Historic Fight for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination: The Clinton View
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
In The Clinton View, learn how Hillary Clinton is an accomplished attorney and activist who has served on several state and national boards promoting legal aid, health care, and education Clinton, one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics, became the first former first Lady to hold a Senate seat in 2000 Popular media such as Saturday Night Live played an important role in the campaign The popular vote differs from the Electoral College, which ultimately chooses the winner Although Clinton did not clinch the nomination, she was chosen to serve as secretary of state in the Obama administration
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FDR and the New Deal
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
In the 1920s, life was good for most Americans-and great for many. Prosperity built on the new economic premise of buy now, pay later ruled the decade known as the Roaring Twenties. Then the bubble burst, and America s house of cards came tumbling down. With stunning suddenness, the stock market Crash of 29 revealed the flaws in America s economy and plunged the nation into the worst depression it had ever known. The troubled citizenry called on its newly elected president to lead it out of economic chaos. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States, stood forth to meet the challenge. At his inauguration in March 1933, he told the American people they had nothing to fear but fear itself. FDR calmed their fears and embarked on a whirlwind program of domestic reform. His program became known as the New Deal. It empowered the government like never before-and changed the face of America forever.
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Blitzkrieg! Hitler's Lightning War
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
An introduction to Adolf Hitler's tactic of combining air attacks with swiftly moving ground forces.
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Hurricane Katrina and the Devastation of New Orleans, 2005
by John A. Torres
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Americans will long remember 2005 as the year Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast states, killing thousands and destroying everything in its path. Lives were changed forever. Once the hurricane passed, the city of New Orleans faced even more danger. The citys protective levees broke, and the streets began to flood. What followed was chaos. Thousands of people who had not evacuated before the hurricane now sought refuge at the Superdome and other emergency sites. They found these shelters without provisions, support, protection, or rescue as the countrys relief efforts floundered with uncertainty. Violence, looting, and general lawlessness followed as desperate city residents felt abandoned by their country. Find out what happened and why, how rescue efforts were finally organized, and what the president promised for the city of New Orleans.
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The Story of the Great Depression
by Mona Gedney
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The Great Depression was one of the worst crises of the twentieth century. For some time, the very survival of the country appeared to be at stake. Businesses failed, banks closed, people lost their homes, and thousands lined up at soup kitchens across the United States. Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a new deal, and in 1932 he was elected president. Many of his New Deal policies shaped the country in ways that are still visible today, like Social Security and the 40-hour work week. The government struggled to help the people and to keep the economy stable. The Great Depression could not be legislated out of existence, however. Only a world war was able to vanquish it.
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The Creation of Israel
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The formation of the State of Israel in 1948 is one of the most important events in recent history. About 3,000 years ago, Israel was a powerful nation. But it soon fell from power and in the second century CE most Jews were forced out of their homeland. Many went to Europe, where they were subject to prejudice and persecution for centuries. By far the worst case was the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. Their suffering accelerated a move toward the development of a Jewish state in what came to be called Palestine. However, Palestine was the home to hundreds of thousands of Arabs. Conflict between the two sides was inevitable. Open warfare broke out after the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state. Though the Israelis achieved their independence, the region has never known true peace.
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Disaster in the Indian Ocean: Tsunami 2004
by John A. Torres
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The disaster in the Indian Ocean started with a massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. What followed was a surge of water called a tsunami that killed thousands of people in nearly a dozen countries. Water rose up miles inland and destroyed everything in its path. Children were ripped from their parents' arms, family members were lost to each other forever. This is their story. But more importantly, this is a story of hope, of how people woke up to destroyed cities and missing children and did not give up. They showed what they were made of by licking their wounds and then trying to find their lives again. This is also the story of how the world responded with the biggest humanitarian effort in history. Countries from all over the world sent money, food, water, soldiers, and doctors.This moving account is based on the author s extensive research, including his personal trip to Indonesia in January 2005, where he witnessed the devastation firsthand and spoke to dozens of survivors.
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Top Secret: The Story of the Manhattan Project
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Describes the events and people involved in the making of the atomic bomb.
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The Fall of Apartheid in South Africa
by Melissa Koosmann
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
For over forty years, the people of South Africa lived under apartheid, an oppressive system of laws based on racism and inequality. Many heroic people fought against this system, but their actions carried grave risks. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Helen Joseph faced house arrest and assassination attempts. Steve Biko was beaten to death by police. Find out how in spite of all the risks, antiapartheid resistance grew stronger, and over time, it led to an amazing transformation. Nelson Mandela changed from a prisoner to a president, and South Africa changed itself into the stable democracy it is today.
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The Story of the Holocaust
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Early in January 2005, high officials of many world governments gathered in the Polish town of Auschwitz. They were there to remember the sixtieth anniversary of its liberation from Nazi tyranny. The concentration camp at Auschwitz is the primary symbol of one of the worst crimes ever committed against human beings: the Holocaust. Under the orders of German dictator Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust was the organized killing of an estimated six million Jews. The horror extended to millions of other people. They had the misfortune of being different from "normal" Germans. The Holocaust was a Monumental Milestone in that it made people recognize the importance of human rights and realize how easily fellow humans can violate those rights. It stands as a warning for future generations.
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The Scopes Monkey Trial
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
One of the most famous trials in U.S. history took place in a tiny town in Tennessee in 1925. Dayton was the site of what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial.The defendant, John T. Scopes, was accused of violating a recently passed state law. This law made it illegal to teach the theory of evolution. Under most circumstances, few people would have paid any attention to the trial.Several of Daytons leading citizens saw a chance to put their town on the map. They were successful. Two of the countrys top lawyersWilliam Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrowsoon became involved. Dozens of reporters poured into Dayton from all over the country. It was the first trial to receive live media coverage.Scopes was found guilty. He had to pay a small fine. But the issues about evolution that the trial raised are still debated today.
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An Overview of World War I
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
When the Great War began in August 1914, many people thought it would be over by Christmas. Instead it lasted for more than four years and claimed millions of lives.The most dominant feature of the conflict was the seemingly endless miles of trenches that faced each other, often just a few hundred yards apart. The only way of attacking was through brutal frontal assaults. Often thousands of men died in a few hours. When they werent fighting, men lived in subhuman conditions in the trenches. Many people hoped that the horrors of the Great War would make it the war to end all wars. It wasnt. The victorious Allies imposed very harsh terms on the defeated Germans. These terms led directly to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the outbreak of World War II just twenty years later.
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The McCarthy Era
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
Discusses the era of Joseph McCarthy a politician who was obsessed with finding communists within the U.S. and who persecuted thousands of Americans' careers and lives with his unfounded public accusations.
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The Story of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Monumental Milestones series
The Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was one of the worst defeats in U.S. military history. It began a string of Japanese successes that seemed to threaten the security of the United States. Many U.S. citizens and government leaders were on the verge of panic. But the attack was probably the greatest mistake the Japanese made during World War II. At that time, many Americans didn t want to go to war. The anger and outrage that followed the attack swept away those objections. It unified the country and made the United States determined to win.
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