This book celebrates the colorful history of the Verde Valley from its prehistoric settlements to the Arizona State Centennial Celebration in 2012. Located in the heart of Arizona, between the Sonoran Desert and the mountain highlands of the Colorado Plateau, the Verde Valley has been a pleasant refuge for man and beast for thousands of years. In a land known for its lack of water, the Verde River and its tributaries-Clear Creek, Beaver Creek, Oak...

The war in Afghanistan has become the most complex foreign policy problem the United States has ever faced, spreading into Pakistan and involving the conflicting interests of Russia, India, China and Iran. Written as a companion to Elizabeth Gould and Paul Fitzgerald's widely acclaimed book Invisible History: Afghanistan's Untold Story, Crossing Zero focuses on the nuances of the Obama administration's evolving military and political strategy, the...

The Picky Eagle explains why the United States stopped annexing territory by focusing on annexation's domestic consequences, both political and normative. It describes how the U.S. rejection of further annexations, despite its rising power, set the stage for twentieth-century efforts to outlaw conquest. In contrast to conventional accounts of a nineteenth-century shift from territorial expansion to commercial expansion, Richard W. Maass argues that...

Find out how Spotify changed the way we listen to music in just 50 minutes! Spotify is a music streaming service which was launched in 2008. Its freemium business model, which allows users to choose between listening to music for free or paying a monthly subscription to access an ad-free version of the site, has attracted 140 million active users (of whom 60 million are paying subscribers) to the site, and has generated billions of dollars in revenue,...

At the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, Native Americans were the first to inhabit Pueblo and its surroundings. Pueblo means "village" in Spanish, appropriate for an area that was settled in the early 1800's by people from present-day New Mexico with Spanish and Native American roots. A trading post established in 1842 was named "El Pueblo." The gold rush of 1858 attracted the first influx of people who saw more opportunity in...

Uncover the secrets of the Titanic in this fascinating exploration for kids 8 to 12 If you're interested in the incredible story of the R.M.S. Titanic, this book helps you dive even deeper. Start with the details that explain why the ship was so famous even before it sank, then discover the secrets that are still resting at the bottom of the ocean today. Become an investigator as you dig into mysteries like why it took so long for help to arrive...

How to hold true to your faith and embrace modern science Ever since the Scopes Monkey Trial in the early twentieth century, American evangelicals have considered scientists public enemy #1. But this antipathy to modern science turned deadly during the COVID-19 crisis, when white evangelicals snubbed precautions and vaccines. Herself an evangelical Christian and a science educator, Janet Kellogg Ray explains how we got here and how to fix it. As...

The military uses ships to fight battles and carry troops. Read to find out about the military's defenses at sea.

A poster child for our nation's urban experimentation a century ago, Gary was forged with hype and hope, dreams and sweat, political agendas and tons of steel. The hardscrabble city attracted all kinds, from shady scoundrels and famous architects to hardworking immigrants and brilliant entrepreneurs. Boasting 180,000 residents at its peak, the booming melting pot eventually faded away under the afflictions of urban decay, racial unrest and political...

The history of Fort Bridger represents a microcosm of the development of the American West. Situated in an area initially inhabited by the Shoshone people, Fort Bridger was established during a transitional phase between the fur-trade era and the period of western migration. The fort became one of the most important supply points along the nation's western trail network. Later, the post served as a bastion of civilization as one of a number of western...