Essential events

Provides an account of the explosion on the oil rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico in April, 2010, that resulted in the deaths of eleven people and caused the largest offshore oil spill in the history of the United States.

Explores the background of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, events leading up to the disaster, responses to the accident, key people involved, and the short-term and long-term effects of the incident on society and the environment.

Provides an in depth examination of the Normandy invasion.

Chronicles the history of the Pacific Railroad, the first transcontinental railroad built to connect the eastern and western halves of the United States, describing the efforts of and cooperation between the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, and discussing the impact of the railroad on travel, trade, and life in the US. Includes a time line, glossary, and other resources.

Explores the events leading to the Louisiana Purchase, discussing significant individuals, the Treaty of Paris, the Jay Treaty of 1794, how the U.S. financed the deal, and other related topics.

Examines the timeline of events that occurred during the 2013 Oklahoma City tornado strikes and the damage that they caused. Investigates the cleanup process and the steps taken by the city to make schools and homes safer from future tornado strikes.

Provides an in depth examination of the riots in Los Angeles, California in 1992.

Provides an in depth examination of the events surrounding the deadly mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

Provides an in depth examination of the Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany.

Explores the history of America during the violent time period as territories entered the Union as free or slave states, discussing the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the abolition movement, Nat Turner's Rebellion, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the Lincoln-Douglas Debates.