Memorial: John B. Harhai.

Memorial: John B. Harhai.

Sportswriters Kavanagh and Tackach survey baseball, basketball, boxing, football, golf, ice hockey, tennis, and the Olympics to profile 100 of the century's greatest competitors. Each biography is accompanied by outstanding color and black and white action photos.

Biographical sketches of fifty American athletes who represent eleven different sports.

A brief overview of the political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and technological advances of the twentieth century and introduces students to the individuals who made history in each decade. Includes suggested activities.

Examines the life and basketball career of the Los Angeles Lakers "big man" who led his team to two consecutive NBA championships in 2000 and 2001.

Profiles superachievers in thirteen different sports, grouped in the categories "The Top Twenty, " "The Runners-up, " and "The Greatest Athlete of the Twentieth Century."

The best baseball team of the 20th century? How about the 1906 Cubs? Or the 1998 Yankees? Don't forget the 1929 A's, or the 1976 Reds. Some say the Yanks had a pretty good squad in 1927. There were so many great teams in the last century, it would be hard to compile a list of the 25 best--much less rank those clubs--but that's what the authors have done! This is an endlessly fascinating tome, sure to prompt spirited discussions around the water cooler or above the dugout. Let the arguments (and the fun!) begin!

A hundred years ago, any soapbox orator who called for women's suffrage, laws protecting the environment, an end to lynching, or a federal minimum wage was considered a utopian dreamer or a dangerous socialist. Now we take these ideas for granted -- because the radical ideas of one generation are often the common sense of the next. We all stand on the shoulders of earlier generations of radicals and reformers who challenged the status quo of their day. Unfortunately, most Americans know little of this progressive history. It isn't taught in most high schools. You can't find it on the major television networks. In popular media, the most persistent interpreter of America's radical past is Glenn Beck, who teaches viewers a wildly inaccurate history of unions, civil rights, and the American Left. The 100 Greatest Americans of the 20th Century, a colorful and witty history of the most influential progressive leaders of the twentieth century and beyond, is the perfect antidote.