Michael Rajczak

What makes a baseball player one of the greatest of all time? Some say a player should be a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Others think it has something to do with home runs or strikeouts. Nearly 20,000 people have played Major League Baseball since the first official game in 1871. In this fan-pleasing volume, readers discover amazing facts about great hitters like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Was old-timer Horus Wagner or recently retired Derek...

"Andrew Jackson took his fame from the War of 1812 and became the people's president. But before his inauguration lay a fascinating story waiting to be told, from Jackson's military career to his origins as an orphan from South Carolina. After losing much of his family during the American Revolution, Jackson followed his family into a military life and became famous for his efforts in New Orleans during the second war with the British. Through timelines...

"Franklin Delano Roosevelt's deep admiration for distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt guided him into politics. Roosevelt rose quickly in New York political circles. Then, he was stricken with paralysis from the waist down, but this didn't stop his ambitions. This thought-provoking pre-presidential biography, full of fascinating facts like these, describes the remarkable and vivacious man who would guide the nation through World War II. Noteworthy photographs...

The Great Lakes region offers so many places to visit; it's hard to pare down the choices! From the natural wonders of Niagara Falls and the Michigan sand dunes to the big-city fun of Chicago and Toronto, there's a lot to see and do. Readers take a tour of the region, including the beaches, famous lighthouses, and the most populous cities around the Great Lakes. Colorful photographs transport them to each new sight while maps aid in geographical understanding...

Alan Shepard Jr. became the first American in space in 1961. His fifteen-minute mission showed that humans could survive a wild ride atop a rocket. In a speech to Congress just 20 days later, President John F. Kennedy declared "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." This volume takes readers on the journey through the amazing...

Plains, deserts, mountains, and water cover the great state of Texas, giving it one of our country's most unique geographical landscapes. This book teaches students how Texas's geography contributed to settling the state. It also discusses its influence on ways of life in both the past and present. Standard-driven content is made accessible by age-appropriate text and engaging images. Readers have additional opportunities to learn about the state's...

Christopher Columbus most likely wasn't the person to discover the Americas. He wasn't even the first European to do so! Despite that, his three trips to the Western Hemisphere led to many more European explorers heading in that direction. In this volume, readers familiar with Columbus's travels on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria can learn who Columbus was beyond his travels. Supported by full-color and historic images, interesting main content turns...

Gettysburg Battlefield might be the most haunted place in the United States. As the site of the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil, it seems likely. Accounts of ghostly soldiers roaming the cemetery and the appearance of streaks of light in photographs taken there are numerous though the existence of restless spirits has never been proven. Readers will get chills learning about the many places near Gettysburg Battlefield where ghosts...