Books in When Disaster Struck series

In the 1980s nuclear power provided electricity for much of the Soviet Union. But the nuclear reactors were badly designed, and the workers were poorly trained. Late one night in 1986, the workers at Chernobyl were running tests when things went horribly wrong. Learn about the consequences of an explosion that released dangerous radioactive material into the atmosphere. Timelines, a glossary, ideas for research, and suggestions for future reading are included in this gripping read about the worst nuclear accident in history. This book highlights the dangers of radioactive material and nuclear waste.

Describes the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., detailing the sequence of events that occurred over the two days following the eruption, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of the residents of Pompeii and the town's disappearance from history until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century.Describes the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., detailing the sequence of events that occurred over the two days following the eruption, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of the residents of Pompeii and the town's disappearance from history until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century.

Relive the harrowing day of March 27, 1979, when America teetered on the brink of the worst nuclear disaster in history. Set against the backdrop of a prolonged economic recession, a crippling energy crisis, and America's growing reliance on an abundant, relatively cheap, though potentially dangerous source of energy--nuclear power--the story of the partial meltdown that occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is told in gripping narrative fashion.

On July 25, 2000, the once glittering dream of commercial supersonic travel seemed to come to a fiery end as Air France Concorde Flight 4590 crashed two minutes after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle Airport outside of Paris. The planes that once carried millionaires and moguls were grounded and many people believed they would never fly again. With the help of powerful eyewitness testimony and a minute-by-minute cockpit voice recorder transcript of the flight crew's communication with air traffic control, this is the story of the birth, death, and rebirth of the Concorde.

On April 14, 1912, a "night to remember, " the unthinkable occurred; the Titanic, the greatest, most celebrated ship ever built--considered by many to be virtually unsinkable--struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and disappeared beneath the frigid waves on the fifth day of her maiden voyage. Author Paul Kupperberg draws on the latest research, rarely heard first-person accounts, and a gripping narrative timeline to tell this heartbreaking story of heroism and horror upon the high seas.

The USS Greeneville's mission on February 9, 2001, was a simple one: take sixteen civilian guests out for a pleasure cruise in the waters south of Oahu, entertain them at lunch in the galley, impress them with a demonstration of what a nuclear-powered attack submarine can do. Using eyewitness accounts, Court of Inquiry testimony and findings, and a narrative timeline of those frantic minutes beneath the sea, Eric Fein tells the tragic story of the Greeneville's collision with the fishing vessel, the Ehime Maru, that resulted in the deaths of nine Japanese fishermen and students.