Essential events

Chronicles the events leading up to the shooting rampage in Tucson that left congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords critically wounded. Analyzes the reasons that the would-be assassin committed this act of violence and explores the possibility of paranoid schizophrenia. Includes color photos, a timeline, a glossary, and an index.

An account of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing, China, where students gathered to call for more individual freedom. Describes the events leading up to the protests, the crackdown, and the legacy of the protests. Includes a timeline, a list of facts, and a glossary.

Examines the accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant in 1979, and presents the history of nuclear power in the U.S. Includes photographs, a timeline, quotes, a sidebar, a glossary, and additional resources.

Presents information on the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Discusses what led to the attack, the events surrounding the attack, and how it has changed political relationships. Includes photographs, a time-line, and a list of facts.

Examines the events leading up to and following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Discusses various issues surrounding the conflicts. Features informative text, full-color photographs, a timeline, a glossary, and a list of resources for further study.

Examines the trial of nine black youths who were charged with the assault of two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. Includes a timeline, a glossary, and additional resources.

Describes events on January 15, 2009 when a US Airways plane crash-landed in the Hudson River. Discusses the career of pilot Chesley Sullenberger, the history of air collisions with birds, and the passengers' experiences. Includes sidebars, photographs, a timeline, a glossary, and additional resources.

Explores the timeline of events from Hitler's rise in power in 1943 through 1947 when leading Nazis were tried and convicted for their crimes against humanity. Depicts the horrors of the Holocaust, provides information about the Holocaust museum established in Jerusalem in 1947 and the United States Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC in 1993, and discusses the goal to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. Includes black-and-white photographs, a glossary, and an index.

Chronicles the global financial crisis of 2008, detailing causes, major events, key persons, and the aftermath. Includes photographs, a timeline, a glossary, and further reading sources.

Details the impact of the 2010 earthquake on the nation of Haiti and discusses how the country has begun to rebuild following the destruction brought by this natural disaster. Examines how earthquakes work and includes full-color photographs, a glossary, a timeline, and further reading sources.