"The nonfiction story of a team of women innovators, Jean Jennings Bartik, Kay McNulty Mauchly, and Betty Snyder Holberton, who programmed early computer ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)"--

An introduction to the life of Thomas Paine reveals how he left behind his home in England, defying conventions in search of a more fulfilling life using his writing talents.

During World War Il, when the brand-new minted Jet Propulsion Laboratory needed quick-thinking mathematicians to calculate jet velocities and plot missile trajectories, they recruited an elite group of young women--known as "computers"--who, with only pencil, paper, and mathematical prowess, transformed rocket design and helped bring about America's first ballistic missiles. But they were never interested in developing weapons--their hearts lay in...

"We all have certain images of Ben Franklin: the witty Founding Father who promoted independence; the Philadelphia printer who created Poor Richard's Almanack; the scientist who conducted experiments with kites in electrical storms; the author of what is arguably America's best-known autobiography. These images reveal an intellectually curious and successful man of the 18th century, but they don't fully capture the full spirit of one of the most extraordinary...