I’m looking for an illustrated children’s non-fiction book from the early 1960s, a collection of several stories. The only two I remember clearly are 1) an account of the killing of Blackbeard the pirate, and 2) a theoretical account of the first moon landing—wrong as it turned out, since it posited a re-entry vehicle with wings and landing gear. Thanks for any help!
This *might* be a collection from Reader’s Digest. Treasury for Young Readers, 1861, LOC 61-11278. Its stories include speculations on the first trip to the moon with a winged, Shuttle-like re-entry vehicle, and the death of Blackbeard with a pistol shot to the chest from a man in a blue tricorned hat. Other stories are about Blondin the tightrope-walker and Pompeii.
I think the first poster, Lisa Houlihan, has it right. I recall a book that had “Reader’s Digest” in the title that had stories that match her description.