Mary B Woods

Did you know . . . • Doctors in ancient Peru performed brain surgery? • Ancient Greek doctors ran medical schools? • The ancient Indians knew how to protect people from smallpox? Medical technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used simple healing techniques. They developed ways to set broken bones. They learned which plants were good for treating colds, headaches, and stomachaches. Over the centuries, ancient...

Did you know . . . • People first used skis more than 8,000 years ago? • The first wheels were used in pottery-not for transportation? • Traffic jams often clogged the streets of ancient Rome? Transportation technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used simple transportation tools. They bundled logs together to make rafts. They used long poles and flat boards to carry heavy loads. Over the centuries, ancient peoples...

For thousands of years, the perils of the sea have claimed uncountable numbers of victims. Bad weather, rocks and icebergs, equipment failures, human error, and many more types of tragedies have all sent ships to watery graves. While modern technology has made sea-going vessels safer and rescues easier, there still are terrible disasters that occur. With dramatic images and eyewitness accounts-plus the latest facts and figures-this book gives you...

A winter snowfall can be beautiful. But if conditions call for dense snow, freezing temperatures, and bone-chilling wind, you are in for a dangerous blizzard. These blinding, swirling storms can shut down roads and damage buildings. Violent winds can thrash vehicles driving on icy roads. Snowdrifts can pile up to block streets or even cover houses. Blizzards can knock out power and threaten the lives of people stranded inside for days-or worse, those...

From chemical leaks and oil spills to toxic pollution and nuclear accidents, environmental disasters are devastating for the people and animals in their wake. Such disasters can destroy the land and wipe out wildlife. They can contaminate buildings and even demolish entire communities. Scientists are still studying the long-term impact of environmental disasters and looking for new ways to mitigate them. With dramatic images and firsthand survivor...

Did you know that people first used road signs more than 2,000 years ago? Did you know that Ancient Rome had its own postal service? Did you know that Egyptian writers used flakes of limestone for scrap paper? Pens, storytelling, alphabets-communication technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used simple communication tools. They painted on cave walls with twigs and animal fur. They carved simple pictures into bones...

Did you know . . . • Ancient Romans invented a machine to harvest grain? • Farmers in ancient China destroyed the pests that harmed crops by bringing in their natural predators? • The ancient Mayans restored nutrients to the soil by planting corn and beans together? People learned to farm more than twelve thousand years ago. The first farmers used simple technology. They carried water to their crops by hand. They made farm tools from wood and...

An introduction to the people, places, and beliefs behind seven creations of ancient North America.

An introduction to seven wonders of the ancient world including the great pyramid at Giza, the lighthouse at Alexandria, and the statue of Zeus at Olympia.

"With dramatic images and firsthand survivor stories-- plus the latest facts and figures-- this book shows you terrifying tsunami disasters up close"--P. [4] of cover.