Books with author Jim Corrigan

Nostalgic photos capture how America reached the peak of its power in the 1950s. The United States became a world leader in business, technology, and health care. The nation experienced a baby boom. Yet, not all was well. U.S. troops fought to a deadlock in Korea. The Soviet Union took an early lead in the Space Race. Americans worried about the presence of Soviet spies. Meanwhile, a young Elvis Presley helped introduce the world to rock and roll. Rosa Parks struck a blow against racial segregation. By refusing to give up her bus seat, she spurred the civil rights movement. Read how it all happened in the 1950s, the American decade.

Through photos, captions, sidebars, and text, see how the 1900s were a time of amazing discovery. Feats covered in this book include: how the Wright brothers invented the airplane, how Henry Ford built the Model T car, and how Albert Einstein solved mysteries of the universe. These are just a few of the astonishing feats. Robert Peary set out to reach the North Pole. Thousands of workers were digging the Panama Canal. U.S. soldiers and sailors went abroad. America was becoming a world power. The 1900s helped shape the course of human history.

America emerges from its malaise in the 1980s. Meanwhile severe social, economic, and military pressures force the Soviet Union to abandon its longstanding political doctrine. The U.S. stands alone as the world’s sole superpower. Through the good times there were also bad ones—the Space Shuttle CHALLENGER exploded and the worst nuclear power accident in history occurs at Chernobyl. Read more about the 1980s in this photo-driven book.

After Christopher Columbus and other European adventurers landed in the Americas during the 15th and 16th centuries, the lands they explored were often called the "New World." However, North, South, and Central America were new only to the people of Europe. Native Americans had lived on the land for millions of years.In some cases, the natives and Europeans were able to live in peace and even learned from each other. Most of the time, however, the European invaders brought with them disease and violence, which spelled the end of the Native Americans' way of life.

Five chapters describe the history, present uses, and future of fighter jets, begining with the use of F-16s on 9/11 and then going back 1944 and the introduction of the German Me 262, the world's first fighter jet. The role of fighter jets in wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq is briefly discussed. Also mentions the Soviet MIG and the new Chinese Chengdu J-20.