The pirates of legend sailed the seven seas, exercised a salty vocabulary, and pursued lives full of swordplay and adventure. But what was life like for the real pirates of history? What odd animals did William Dampier have on board? Why did Grace O'Malley cut off her hair? And which pirate liked to wear pajamas on deck? Through the spyglass of the seafaring, Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt return to their acclaimed series of collective biographies,...

Scientists have a reputation for being focused on their work—and maybe even dull. But take another look. Did you know that it's believed Galileo was scolded by the Roman Inquisition for sassing his mom? That Isaac Newton loved to examine soap bubbles? That Albert Einstein loved to collect joke books, and that geneticist Barbara McClintock wore a Groucho Marx disguise in public? With juicy tidbits about everything from favorite foods to first

...