10 Ships That Rocked the World

Ships have sailed through human history for thousands of years. Sometimes, their dramatic voyages have even changed the course of the world--bringing cultures together in peace or conflict, playing a role in wars and revolutions, and transforming societies.

There are 10 ocean adventures:

• Groundbreaking exploits of Zheng He's 15th-century treasure ships on voyages to far-away Africa and the Middle East
• Vasco da Gama's Sao Gabriel navigating unknown waters
• The Lady Penrhyn sailing with the first convicts exiled to Australia in 1787
• The USS Susquehanna on its pivotal trade mission to Japan in 1853
• The tense confrontation of the Holocaust survivor ship Exodus 1947 while enroute to Israel
• Passengers from India aboard the Komagata Maru and their unsuccessful immigration to Canada in 1914
• The standoff when Somali pirates seized the oil tanker Sirius Star
• How Granma, a tiny yacht, played a major role in Cuba's revolution
• Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley and its ill-fated crew
• Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, a key player in the environmental movement.

With a rich variety of photos, maps, and striking illustrations, 10 Ships that Rocked the World reveals the crucial role ships played in some of history's most significant dramas.

Gillian Richardson has written numerous children's books, including 10 Plants that Shook the World andKaboom!. She lives in British Columbia.

Kim Rosen illustrated both previous books in The World of Tens series. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.