Books in What's So Great About... series

The year 1849 was an important one for Elizabeth Blackwell. After two years of intense studying, she finally received her diploma from Geneva Medical College. This was a milestone not only in her life, but in the field of medicine as a whole. After all, Elizabeth was the first woman in the world ever to attend and graduate from medical school. She was the world s first woman doctor. Elizabeth didn t always dream of becoming a doctor. It was only after a close friend died of a painful illness that she realized the need for women to become part of this very important field of study. Because of her pioneering efforts, women everywhere have more career opportunities today.

According to legend, frontiersman Davy Crockett could "lick his weight in wildcats" and died at the Alamo only after killing hundreds of enemy soldiers. Did he always wear a coonskin cap and buckskins? Or was he just an ordinary man, a hunter and politician who usually dressed in everyday clothes and died like any other ordinary man at the Alamo? Find out in this book, which seeks to separate fact from fiction while exploring the life and death of one of the most colorful characters in American history.

On a September morning in 1812, an eyewitness to the British bombing of Ft. McHenry scribbled a poem about the American flag on the back of an envelop. The eyewitness was Francis Scott Key, a well-known Washington D.C. poet and lawyer. The sight of the American Flag waving through the battle told Key that the Americans were holding strong, and stirred Key to put the pride he felt into the words of a poem. These words became “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem. Today every American knows Key’s words and sings them proudly at official proceedings and before sports events. Key went on to create an African republic where former slaves could live in freedom. He helped President Andrew Jackson settle differences between Native Americans and settlers in Alabama, and he was made District Attorney for Washington D.C. But it is for “The Star-Spangled Banner” that he is most remembered. Here is the story of the man who was the first to call the fledging United ! States of America the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”

At age nine, Tutankhamen became pharaoh, ruler of Egypt. His most important act was to reestablish his people s religion of multiple gods. Before age twenty, he was dead. For over three thousand years, Egypt s desert sand hid the tomb of Tutankhamen, and Egyptians forgot about the ancient king. Then, in 1922, archaeologist Howard Carter found a door buried in the sand. It led to the greatest ancient Egyptian treasure ever found. Tutankhamen didn t have time to become a great pharaoh, but his tomb is a modern treasure, but not just for its gold and jewels, but for the stories it holds about ancient Egypt.

Annie Oakley had a difficult childhood. Her father died when she was six. She had to live with other people. One family mistreated her. They even threw her out of the house in the middle of a snowstorm. But Annie had a natural gift for shooting. She used this gift to defeat a traveling marksman named Frank Butler. Soon she married him. She also became his partner in shooting exhibitions. Then she joined Buffalo Bill s Wild West Show. This was a traveling show featuring acts that showcased the Western frontier. Annie soon became one of the most famous acts. People were amazed that a woman was such a good shot. Annie was proud of her accomplishments. She knew that many women looked up to her. She always set a good example for them.

Sam Houston did it all! He lived with the Cherokee Indians as a teenager. Then, he joined the Army and helped defeat the British in the War of 1812. Later, he served the Republic of Texas as its first President. Through it all, Houston was a man of honor. When the United States government failed to keep their treaty with the Cherokee Indians, it was Sam Houston who marched into Washington D.C., dressed in his Indian headdress. Sam Houston took the problem all the way to the President of the United States Andrew Jackson. As a man of honor, Sam Houston demanded the United States honor their promises. The only thing that rivaled his sense of honor was his love of Texas. Even his dying words were of Texas... Texas. Texas... he mumbled just before he died. An honorable man, an honorable life, and Texas is his legacy.

While the name, Daniel Boone, is familiar to many people, his many deeds and exploits are not. Boone’s life was one adventure after another, from exploring new places despite the presence of danger and death to going on long wilderness hunting trips that were daily battles of survival to being held prisoner in situations in which each day could be his last. Throughout it all Boone moved steadily onward, consumed with a burning desire to see what was over the next ridge, or where the next trail led. His courage and determination were extraordinary. His life was legendary.

Born as “Tutankhaten, King Tut is remembered for many reasons. During his reign as Pharaoh he made the difficult decision to publically disagree with his father and to undo many of the changes that Amenhotep IV had made during his rule (including making Amarna the capital city). Tutankhaten would also try to reestablish the friendships with surrounding nations that his father had ignored and to start a large family of his own so that his ideas could continue to guide the country long after he had died. But the life of Tutankhaten was very complicated. It seems that as a young king he was used by the people around him, specifically some very powerful advisors who took advantage of the fact that he was just a child. They probably convinced the king to do the things that they themselves wanted him to do. You may know King Tut’s name, but perhaps you've wondered, "What's so great about him?” This book (part of the “What’s So Great About…”) series, gives kids insight into life, times and career of King Tut.

From an early age, Galileo Galilei was curious about the world around him. He began conducting scientific experiments. No one had ever done that before. He invented many useful devices, such as improved clocks and tools to help sailors find their way at sea. His greatest fame came after he invented a more powerful version of the telescope. This new telescope allowed him to observe the skies in more detail than anyone before him. His observations soon led him to believe that Earth revolved around the sun. This belief landed him in trouble with the Catholic Church, which for many centuries had taught that the sun revolved around Earth. Church leaders put him on trial. They would determine whether Galileo lived or died.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. From a very young age, he dreamed of going to sea. By his early teens, he finally did so, aboard a merchant ship in the Mediterranean. As an adult, Columbus believed that there was an easier way to get to the Indies in the east and that was by traveling west on the Ocean Sea. After many failed attempts to get funding, he finally convinced the king and queen of Spain to pay for his voyage. On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed in the New World the Americas becoming the first European to do so. Columbus and his voyage changed both the Old and New Worlds forever.

From the time he was young, Robert Fulton liked to work with his hands. For a while, he thought he wanted to be an artist. But it was a hard way to make a living. So he turned to inventing things. One was a very early version of the submarine. Fulton is most famous for building the first practical steamboat. Others had tried and failed. Fulton was successful. His vessel was called the North River Steam Boat. It sailed regularly between New York City and Albany, the capital of New York. The success of the North River Steam Boat inspired Fulton to build other steamboats. Soon he became a very wealthy man.