Showing titles in Military & Wars

The most unique city-state in Ancient Greece was Sparta, which continues to fascinate contemporaneous society. It is not entirely clear why Sparta placed such a great emphasis on having a militaristic society, but the result was that military fitness was a preoccupation from birth. If a Spartan baby did not appear physically fit at birth, it was left to die. Spartan children underwent military training around the age of seven years old, and every male had to join the army around the age of 18.

April 19, 1775, was the most momentous day in American history. Over the course of nearly 18 hours, a morning that began with midnight riders spreading an alarm about a British raid headed for Concord, would lead to the British column fleeing for their lives, back to the vicinity of Boston, as thousands of militiamen headed to cut them off and surround them. By the time the sun went down, 10 years of strife between the 13 colonies and Great Britain finally boiled over into pitched battle, and a revolution.

Includes accounts of the fighting written by witnesses and soldiers. In Charles River Editors' History for Kids series, your children can learn about history's most important people and events in an easy, entertaining, and educational way. On April 19, 1775, the "shot heard 'round the world" was fired at Lexington, officially starting the Revolutionary War between the colonists and the British Empire.

James Bond may be one of the good guys, but the spies in this book definitely aren't - nor are the traitors and assassins! Listen to this audiobook to uncover more secrets about history's most terrible assassins, traitors, and spies.

From the time he was a young boy roaming the forests of the unsettled Midwest, Abraham Lincoln knew in his heart that slavery was deeply wrong. The passion for humanity that defined Lincoln's life shines through in this portrait of a truly great American president.

Imagine being 15 years old, facing the bloodiest battle ever to take place on US soil: the Battle of Gettysburg. In July 1863, this is exactly what happened to Tillie Pierce, a normal teenager who became an unlikely heroine of the Civil War (1861-1865). Tillie and other women and girls like her found themselves trapped during this critical three-day battle in Southern Pennsylvania.

On a hot summer afternoon in 1944, SS troops wiped out an entire French village. 644 men, women and children died that day. Just one child survived. This book tells the story of what happened in Oradour, and imagines what drove both the SS officer who ordered the massacre, and the seven-year-old boy who escaped it. Powerful, moving and almost unbearably tense, this book weaves the truth about what happened to the people in Oradour into a powerful fictional story centred on two characters: the plucky, inspirational seven-year-old Alfred Fournier, refugee and resident of Oradour, and the hot-headed, power-hungry SS commander who shattered his world and changed his life for ever, Major Gustav Dietrich. As their two worlds collide, we gain a fascinating insight into the extremes and contradictions of human behaviour and emotion. With a twist in the tale, this is a story which leaves the reader surprised, inspired and profoundly moved.

In D-DAY: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944, Pulitzer Prize winning author Rick Atkinson adapts his #1 New York Times bestselling The Guns At Last Light into an audiobook program capturing the events and spirit of the day – June 6, 1944 – that led to the liberation of western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Atkinson skillfully describes how Allied forces came by sea and by sky to reclaim freedom from the occupying Germans, turning the tide of World War II. The events leading up to, and of, the momentous day are vividly captured in this four hour audiobook adaptation. Perfect for history buffs, D-DAY is both an outstanding introduction and a concise survey detailing one of the most important dates in history.

An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin. On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.

What is war really like? Here are stories of sacrifices and massacres, of battles fought on horseback and in the trenches, at sea and on land. Find out about the savage school teacher who betrayed his students to the Roman soldiers, the American hero who led his country to independence only to be abandoned after the battle was won, and the football game between two fierce enemies that halted the First World War for a day. Discover how people survive in times of war in these incredible but true war stories.

On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One ship was loaded top to bottom with munitions and one held relief supplies, both intended for war-torn Europe. The resulting blast flattened two towns, Halifax and Dartmouth, and killed nearly 2,000 people. As if that wasn’t devastating enough, a blizzard hit the next day, dumping more than a foot of snow on the area and paralyzing much-needed relief efforts. Fascinating, edge-of-your-seat storytelling based on original source material conveys this harrowing tale.

History is dramatic - and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. The United States in the Cold War examines the history of the United States from 1945 to 1989.

History is dramatic - and the renowned, award-winning authors Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier demonstrate this in a compelling series aimed at young readers. Covering American history from the founding of Jamestown through present day, these volumes explore far beyond the dates and events of a historical chronicle to present a moving illumination of the ideas, opinions, attitudes, and tribulations that led to the birth of this great nation. The United States in World War II provides background on American sentiments prior to U.S. involvement in the war.

The world had not fully recovered from the horror of World War I or the anguish of its catastrophic aftermath, the Great Depression, before an even greater war commenced. The Third Reich of Adolf Hitler threatened to dominate all of Europe, and the limitless destructive power of the atom was well within the reach of Nazi Germany. This revised edition of World War II presents the complete story of America's war in Europe and the Pacific.

George Rogers Clark was a famous general in the Revolutionary War, and his explorations served as the inspiration for his younger brother William, the leader of the famous Lewis and Clark expedition. Now you can read about the boyhood of Roger and share in the first adventures of this lifelong hero.

This audiobook describes the design and significance of the Vietnam Memorial located in Washington DC built to honor the American soldiers who served in Vietnam.

We all know about the famous generals and the major battles of the Civil War. But for the soldiers who actually fought, the war was all too real. It was especially traumatic for the thousands of soldiers who ranged in age from 10 to 15. Some young soldiers joined the fray to escape the boredom of farm work or to "set the South straight". Many of them kept diaries and wrote letters home. Through their eyes, we see what life was like on the edge of chaos.

A biography of the Civil War general known for his part in the disastrous battle at the Little Big Horn in 1876.

Riveting, moving, and impossible to put down, War, Terrible War takes us into the heart of the Civil War, from the battle of Manassas to the battle of Gettysburg and on to the South's surrender at Appomattox Court House. Follow the common soldiers in blue and gray as they endure long marches, freezing winter camps, and the bloodiest battles ever fought on American soil.

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire was fought from 1812 to 1815. This audiobook explores the events connected with the conflict between the U.S. and England in the early 19th century.