The energy released when volcanoes erupt, engines combust, or bombs
explode both thrills and fascinates people. But this power also kills.
Eruptions and Explosions: Real Tales of Violent Outbursts recounts the
history of five blowups that continued to rattle the world long after
the smoke had cleared and embers cooled. For example, in 1815, a
mountain in Indonesia called Tambora erupted. This volcano unleashed a
monstrous cloud of ash and gas into the upper atmosphere. For three
years, the cloud played with the global environment, causing
never-ending winters and famine that killed thousands.
Some of the world's most devastating explosions cannot be blamed on
nature, but on human failings. In 1865, the steamship Sultana exploded
while transporting thousands of federal soldiers just freed from
Confederate prisoner of war camps. The greatest maritime disaster in
United States history was caused as much by greed as a faulty boiler.
A discussion about explosions wouldn't be complete without mention of
nuclear bombs. A desire to end the bloodshed of World War II led the
United States to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. The
bomb hastened the end of war, but also killed hundreds of thousands of
Japanese civilians and launched the nuclear age. This nuclear age
brought a catastrophic explosion at a power plant in the former USSR in
1986. When a reactor blew at a facility in Chernobyl, radioactive
fallout spread throughout Europe, creating a contamination zone unfit
for human life for centuries.
Powerful forces lie within the Earth and people who try to extract that
power pay a high price. In 2010, a series of errors led the Macondo oil
well to rupture. For three months, millions of barrels of oil gushed
into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying plant and animal life and
devastating the economy of the region.
This is the eighth book in a series called Mystery & Mayhem, which
features true tales that whet kids' appetites for history by engaging
them in genres with proven track records--mystery and adventure. History
is made of near misses, unexplained disappearances, unsolved mysteries,
and bizarre events that are almost too weird to be true--almost! The
Mystery and Mayhem series delves into these tidbits of history to
provide kids with a jumping-off point into a lifelong habit of
appreciating history.
The five true tales told within Eruptions and Explosions are paired
with maps, photographs, and timelines that lend authenticity and
narrative texture to the stories. A glossary and resources page provide
the opportunity to practice using essential academic tools. These
nonfiction narratives use clear, concise language with compelling plots
that both avid and reluctant readers will be drawn to.
Nomad Press books in the Mystery & Mayhem series introduce readers to
historical concepts and events by engaging them in an extremely popular
genre--real-life adventure and mystery. Readers ages 9 to 12 are
fascinated with the strange-but-true tales that populate history, and
books in this series offer compelling narrative nonfiction paired with
concise language that appeals to both voracious and reluctant readers.
Nomad's unique approach to the study of history uses tantalizing tales
based in factual knowledge that encourage a lifelong curiosity in the
historical events that shape our world.
Titles in the series include: Pirates and Shipwrecks; Survival; Weird
Disappearances; Daring Heists; Rebels & Revolutions; Great Escapes; Tomb
Raiders; Eruptions and Explosions; Epidemics and Pandemics; and Earth,
Wind, Fire, and Rain.
