Scandulous! 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About (So You Can Impress Your Friends)

From sex scandals to the Scopes trial, the War of the Worlds broadcast to Watergate, Fryd’s trim handbook chronologically recaps 50 infamous events that have sizzled in U.S. headlines since the early 1900s. Entries include the murder of Lana Turner’s boyfriend by Turner’s daughter, Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour versus the Catholic Church, and the O.J. Simpson trial. Fryd provides social and historical context, a list of key players, and quotations, while exploring similar scandals (a section on Leopold and Loeb features a sidebar on Bonnie and Clyde, the Menendez brothers, and the Columbine shooters) as well as their lasting impacts (for example, the controversy surrounding the 2000 Gore-Bush presidential elections “forced people to reevaluate the Electoral College”). An entertaining, insightful, and thorough guide to events that, for better or worse, have riveted the nation. Ages 14–up. (Feb.)