Frank Carlson Library

From the worst plane accident in history on Tenerife to America's worst air crash at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, this engrossing volume covers many of the most famous aircraft disasters in history and their investigations. Readers also learn about other disasters, including an Antarctic air crash into Mount Erebus, a mid-air collision, one over Lake Constance, a Concorde disaster, a mountain crash, and the September 11 hijackings and terrorist...

In vivid detail, this engrossing volume describes the experiences of people who have witnessed some of history's most powerful earthquakes. Readers will learn about the reasons that earthquakes happen, and examine the tragic and devastating impact that Japan's 2011 earthquake had on the country. Among the historic beyond-belief earthquakes studied are those in Haiti, China, Italy, Kashmir, Armenia, and the United States. Sidebars and a timeline make...

Few people are unfamiliar with the devastating sinking of the supposedly unsinkable luxury liner the Titanic. However, most people do not know that it was far from the worst maritime disaster in history. This riveting book offers readers a review of the most disastrous shipwrecks, from the Mary Rose in 1545 to the Princess of the Stars in 2008. Students explore the causes and circumstances of these calamities at sea, and through eyewitness accounts...

Who can forget the horrific images of the disastrous tsunami, triggered by a massive earthquake, in Japan in March 2011? This gripping volume reveals some of the most dramatic and devastating tsunamis throughout history, including Japan, Sumatra in 2004, and Chile in 1868. It also studies the strides scientists have made in improving their ability to predict such catastrophes. Sidebars feature eyewitness accounts and how people have responded to these...

Volcanic eruptions are among the most violent and spectacular natural events on Earth. Accompanied by red-hot rivers of lava, towering clouds of ash, and thick flows of mud, they can devastate the landscape along with people's lives. This dramatic volume gives readers a detailed look into the formation of volcanoes, their magma chambers, and famous eruptions around the world. Readers learn about the cataclysms of Pompeii, Skaptarjorkul, Mt. Pinatubo,...

The German victory in France at the onset of the Second World War was sudden, brutal and brilliant; by contrast the British and French preparations were miserable, faulty, badly carried through and fraught with mistrust. In the midst of these Allied responses was the eminent liaison officer Major-General Sir Edward Louis Spears, sent by the new prime Minister Winston Churchill to be his representative to the French Prime Minister. Spears was very...

Meet Tony Vicar: failed rockstar-turned-DJ, small-town curmudgeon, and...miracle worker? Reduced to DJing rural weddings, Tony Vicar feels the bite of failure. A frustrated and failed musician, unable to discern why he has not ascended to stardom, his only defense is to see the world through the lens of gallows humor, absurdism, and black comedy. At his lowest moment, he meets former exotic dancer Jacquie O, and they begin a strange and unlikely...