discovery and exploration

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discovery and exploration

America's westward expansion

2024
"Americans' large-scale movement west during the 1800s stemmed from several events. The discovery of gold in California, the Mormon migration west, the transcontinental railroad, and the search for farmland propelled many people in the East across the continent. This valuable volume highlights the major causes and effects of the push westward, highlighting important topics such as Native American displacement and the construction of the Erie Canal. Sidebars, fact boxes, maps, and historical images support readers as they develop an understanding of the many events that expanded the United States from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean"--Provided by publisher.

Battle of ink and ice

a sensational story of news barons, North Pole explorers, and the making of modern media
2023
"A sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news that follows the no-holds-barred battle between two legendary explorers to reach the North Pole, and the newspapers which stopped at nothing to get-and sell-the story. In the fall of 1909, a pair of bitter contests captured the world's attention. The American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed to have discovered the North Pole, sparking a vicious feud that was unprecedented in international scientific and geographic circles. At the same time, the rivalry between two powerful New York City newspapers-the storied Herald and the ascendant Times-fanned the flames of the so-called polar controversy, as each paper financially and reputationally committed itself to an opposing explorer and fought desperately to defend him. The Herald was owned and edited by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., an eccentric playboy whose nose for news was matched only by his appetite for debauchery and champagne. The Times was published by Adolph Ochs, son of Jewish immigrants, who'd improbably rescued the paper from extinction and turned it into an emerging powerhouse. The battle between Cook and Peary would have enormous consequences for both newspapers, and help to determine the future of corporate media. BATTLE OF INK AND ICE presents a frank portrayal of Arctic explorers, brave men who both inspired and divided the public. It also sketches a vivid portrait of the newspapers that funded, promoted, narrated, and often distorted their exploits. It recounts a sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news, one that culminates with an unjustly overlooked chapter in the origin story of the modern New York Times. By turns tragic and absurd, BATTLE OF INK AND ICE brims with contemporary relevance, touching as it does on themes of class, celebrity, the ever-quickening news cycle, and the benefits and pitfalls of an increasingly interconnected world. Above all, perhaps, its cast of characters testifies-colorfully and compellingly-to the ongoing role of personality and publicity in American cultural life as the Gilded Age gave way to the twentieth century-the American century"--.

How to spacewalk

step-by-step with shuttle astronauts
Shows the journey of a spacewalker, from training to EVA day. Includes the story of how Kathy Sullivan became the first American to walk in space.
Cover image of How to spacewalk

Exploring Lewis and Clark

reflections on men and wilderness
2003
A series of essays in which the author reflects on the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the journals they wrote about their experiences, and raises questions about the motivations of the explorers, their relationships to the people and animals they encountered, and the roles of Clark's slave York, and the Native American guide known to history as Sacajawea.

The last cold place

a field season studying penguins in Antarctica
"Naira de Gracia's The Last Cold Place offers a dramatic, captivating window into a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a season living and working in a remote outpost in Antarctica alongside seals, penguins, and a small crew of fellow field workers. In one of the most inhospitable environments in the world (for humans, anyway), Naira follows a generation of chinstrap penguins from their parents' return to shore to build nests from pebbles until the chicks themselves are old enough to head out to sea. In lively and entertaining anecdotes, Naira describes the life cycle of a funny, engaging colony of chinstrap penguins whose food source (krill, or small crustaceans) is powerfully affected by the changing ocean. Weaving together the history of Antarctic exploration with climate science, field observations, and her own personal journey of growth and reflection, The Last Cold Place illuminates the complex place that Antarctica holds in our cultural imagination--and offers a rare glimpse into life on this uninhabited continent"--From the publisher's web site.

Lewis and Clark

famed explorers of the American frontier
2017
"When Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, he needed a team to survey that vast, unknown expanse of land. He chose Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Together, they led the Corps of Discovery, a team of ... explorers across a wild, dangerous country. Readers will understand the impact Lewis and Clark's expedition had on American history ... [and] follow their journey across roaring rivers, vast plains, and untrod paths ... [Also describes] the Native Americans they met, the fierce wildlife that threatened their lives, and the hunger, sickness, and injury that dogged them from start to finish"--Provided by publisher.

John Cabot

2022
Presents a brief biography of Italian explorer John Cabot, providing information on childhood, his family life, and his voyages of discovery for England including the discovery of the North American mainland in 1497.

Samuel de Champlain

founder of New France and Quebec City
2017
"[A biography of Samuel de Champlain, providing] a look at a man who served as the geographer to the French king, an expert on Native Americans, a skilled mapmaker, the founder of Quebec City, and the father of New France"--Provided by publisher.

Jacques Cartier

2022
Presents a brief biography of sixteenth-century French navigator who made three voyages to what is today known as Canada, in search of a northwest passage to China, providing information on his life and travels.

Fact and fiction of American colonization

2022
This book explores the myths about colonization and brings the truth to light. But many popular stories about life in the early American colonies have gotten some facts wrong and left out others altogether.

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