Library Picks: Julia Child, Woodstock and Women's Rights

Our weekly Library Picks highlight anniversaries for important dates and events in history. Those dates fall in the upcoming week.

First off, Aug. 15 is a special day for culinary creators and lovers as it marks Julia Child's birthday. The chef was born in 1912 and died in 2004. Aug. 15 is also the birthday of the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte.

The anniversary of the giant music festival on Yasgur's Farm in 1969 also started on Aug. 15, which we all know today as Woodstock.

Aug. 18 is an extremely important date in American history as the 19th Amendment was ratified on this date in 1920, finally allowing women the right to vote.

Nuclear power plants are extremely relevant to today's energy and environment issues and nuclear explosives are tied to terrorism and warfare. But how much do you really know about the subject? Plutonium, a radioactive element first discovered in the lab, was first weighed on Aug. 20 in 1942. Check out the book on radioactive elements below for some easy education on the subject.

1. My Life in France (Book) - Julia Child is well known for her culinary skills and has written plenty of recipe books to prove it. However, this series of autobiographical stories of her time in France look behind the scenes of her life.

2. Napoleon (Book) - Author Paul Johnson added another historical biography to his list of written works with this detailed account of the infamous dictator's career from early military training through his campaign across Europe.

3. Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director's Cut (DVD) - The most famous musical event of the 20th century was caught on video and has been re-released on DVD with additional footage. Take a trip down memory lane, or for the younger crowd, enjoy the innovation and massiveness of this three-day festival in 1969 and a lesson on the history of today's music.

4. If You Lived When Women Won Their Rights (Book) - This edition of the well-received "If You Lived When" series of historical books gives children a chance to see how different things were over the years in America, especially for women, and how we've overcome so much as a nation.

5. Uranium and Other Radioactive Elements (Book) - Brian Knapp offers concise information on some of the periodic table's most notorious, and unstable elements. He also gives plenty of history and examples of applications for these elements, such as the A-bomb and power plants.