As a child in South Korea, Ban Ki-moon wrote a letter to the U.N. secretary-general regarding the Hungarian uprising against Russia. A few years later in the United States, he met President John F. Kennedy. From then on, Ban desired to work for peace, an aspiration that led him to become South Korea's foreign minister in 2004, at a time when tensions between North Korea and its neighbors were heated. Two years later, he ascended to the position of U.N. secretary-general. Ban has worked to show the benefits of diplomatic approaches in solving conflict, and has called for the world's citizens to change their habits to curb global warming. To restore people's trust in the battered organization, he has set standards for other U.N. staff. In "Ban Ki-moon", read how his further success in these areas will attempt to keep the U.N. relevant in an increasingly complex world....

She was supposed to be "unsinkable." But on April 14, 1912, the unthinkable happened: the world's largest and most luxurious oceans liner - the Titanic - struck an iceberg in the frigid waters in the dark of night. What happened next seemed unbelievable to people at the time. In approximately two and a half hours, the celebrated ship flooded with water, cracked in half, and sank miles to the ocean floor below. Of the 2,200 passengers and crew onboard, only 705 survived. The rest suffered a terrifying and cold death in the Atlantic. Observers around the world were horrified and saddened by the tragedy, and many wanted answers. What caused this incredible disaster to happen, and why did so many people have to die? In "The Sinking of the Titanic", read about the steamship from stem to stern, from her building and construction, her crew and passengers, and her fate with an iceberg, to the effect this tragedy had, and continues to have, on the shipping industry and the world....

As the son of a single father, Apolo Anton Ohno showed a lot of spunk and energy. To keep out of trouble, Ohno got involved in sports like swimming and inline skating. But everything changed when he saw the short-track speed skating during the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. His natural talent for the sport quickly became apparent, and soon he moved, reluctantly, from Seattle to Salt Lake City for serious training. After both triumphs and disappointments, Ohno's hard work and determination paid off when he skated away with two Olympic medals - one silver, one gold - in the 2002 Winter Games....

The Hoover Dam is recognized as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world. The construction of this behemoth dam - the inspiration of one Arthur Powell Davis - was an incredible feat on many levels. Years-long political disputes had to be settled. Individuals and companies in the engineering and construction realms had to bond together to form a single company capable of taking on such a groundbreaking project. Thousands of workers from around the country flocked to the project to flee the poverty of the Great Depression. Roads, houses, and electricity had to be built and installed in the untouched environment of Black Canyon. Then, with almost unbelievable speed, the Hoover Dam rose from the dry dust of the western United States to become one of the most incredible engineering accomplishments in history....