In "Famous Men of Modern Times," author John Haaren introduces the birth of the modern era Readers will meet the men responsible for shaping our recent foundations---such as Lorenzo de Medici, Christopher Columbus, Galileo, Newton, Napoleon, Gladstone, and George Washington---and experience the adventurous times through their eyes. With detailed black-and-white artwork and vibrant color illustrations, this easy-to-understand text correlates history with reading for an all-encompassing study. Haaren, who also wrote "Famous Men of Greece," "Famous Men of Rome," and "Famous Men of the Middle Ages," was an American educator and historian. Haaren's father was German and his mother Irish. He studied under Prof. N. M. Butler at Columbia University, 1889-91, before becoming a teacher in New York. In 1907 he became Associate Superintendent of Schools in New York, increasing the number and efficiency of kindergartens and starting classes to teach English to foreigners. He was president of the department of pedagogy in the Brooklyn Institute. Haaren High School (which was located on 10th Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets in Manhattan) was named in his honor. The Charles B. J. Snyder-designed school which was initially DeWitt Clinton High School is now Haaren Hall on the campus of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.