|
|
Nature and Science August 2017 |
|
|
|
| American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the... by David BaronIn 1878, America's scientific community was eager to prove itself to the rest of the world. A total eclipse of the sun offered the perfect opportunity to do so. Three individuals set out to observe the event, albeit with different motives: professor James Craig Watson hoped to locate hypothetical planet "Vulcan"; astronomer Maria Mitchell was determined to show that women scientists were the equals of their male counterparts; and entrepreneur Thomas Edison was certain he'd make a name for himself with a measurement device he'd invented. American Eclipse focuses on a single solar eclipse; for a broader historical perspective, try John Dvorak's Mask of the Sun. |
|
|
|
Electrified Sheep : Glass-Eating Scientists, Nuking the Moon and more Bizarre Experiments
by Alex Boese
Chronicles eccentric, irrational and extreme scientific experiments that have been performed throughout history by famous and lesser-known figures, including a team that attempted to set off nuclear explosions on the moon, a doctor who performed his own appendectomy and Benjamin Franklin's mouth-to-beak resuscitation on an electric-shocked chicken.
|
|
| Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster by David A. Lochbaum, Edwin Lyman, Susan Q. Stranahan, and the Union of Concerned ScientistsOn March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a tsunami that flooded the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, resulting in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. This suspenseful account vividly recreates the event, offering lessons that could help prevent future catastrophes. Fukushima may interest readers of Sheri Fink's Five Days at Memorial, another disturbing work of long-form investigative reporting that examines how natural disasters can be compounded and exacerbated by human error. |
|
| Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve OlsonThe single most powerful natural disaster in U.S. history occurred on May 18, 1980, when Washington's Mount St. Helens erupted, killing 57 people while scattering ash over 11 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces. Eruption provides a tense real-time account of the catastrophe, from the first seismic rumblings to the volcano's eruption and its deadly aftermath, while painting a vivid portrait of the Pacific Northwest's history and culture. |
|
| The Storm of the Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of... by Al RokerThe category-four hurricane that descended on Galveston, Texas, in 1900 leveled the city, killing upwards of 10,000 people and causing millions of dollars worth of damage. Author and television personality Al Roker illustrates the devastation wrought by the storm by focusing on a cross-section of notable figures and ordinary citizens, including members of Galveston's then-thriving African-American community. For more on this epic disaster, pick up Erik Larson's Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|