Maps and sidebars

Thumbnail biographies of military and political leaders

Primary source quotations

Glossary, Index

Participating in almost every major sea battle in World War II, cruisers found themselves pressed into a myriad of roles. They escorted battle lines, guarded convoys, patrolled oceans–even acted as…

One of America’s founders, Dr. Benjamin Rush often wrote about the importance of temperance, or not drinking too much alcohol. By the nineteenth century, many more Americans thought alcohol was…

Traces the history of workers’ rights and labor law in America through to the present day, including detailed analysis of labor unions, discrimination, safety, the rights of immigrant workers, and…

Born in Paris, to Chinese parents, Yo-Yo Ma began playing the cello when he was a child. At the age of five he was already playing Bach’s challenging cello suites…

In 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr fought the most famous duel in American history. Both men had served with great courage during the American Revolution. Afterward, each had become…

Early modern celebrations - whether of public or private events, marked locally or feted internationally - are also celebrations of early modern culture, or of the artistic invention and technological…

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the "public…