Rebecca Aldridge – författare

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.

All eyes will be on Stephen Colbert as he takes over David Letterman’s late night talk show. Colbert rose to fame in the outrageous Strangers with Candy and as a fake newsman on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. But the funnyman has endured his share of tragedy. His father and two brothers were killed in an airplane crash when Colbert was young. A smart but aimless kid, Colbert was bullied in school and didn’t see the point of studying. Eventually, he found drama and improv comedy. Learn about the life of this fascinating comedian whose depths America has yet to mine.

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.