This compelling addition to the What Was? series covers what was supposed to be “the war to end all wars” but tragically wasn't.In 1914, the assassination of an Austrian archduke set off a disastrous four-year-long conflict involving dozens of countries with battles taking place in all parts of the world. World War I was the first to use planes and tanks as well as deadly gases that left soldiers blinded or “shell shocked” (a condition now called Post Traumatic Str...

Okay, readers, now let's get in formation! Learn about the life of the perfectionist performer known as Queen Bey and how she created her flawless discography of hit records like Renaissance and Cowboy Carter.In 2003, Beyoncé went solo after being in the popular girl group Destiny's Child and began one of the most iconic, successful music careers in history. She has won thirty-two Grammy Awards and has been nominated over eighty times, ma...

How did a young boy who played three sports become a two-time Super Bowl champion? Find out in this exciting Who HQ Now book about one of America's favorite football players.Travis Kelce was born an athlete -- he played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He excelled at football, and served as Cleveland Heights High School's quarterback -- though he'd one day become a famous tight end because of his impressive skills on the field. Travis was offered ...

On October 29, 1929, life in the United States took a turn for the worst. The stock market – the system that controls money in America – plunged to a record low. But this event was only the beginning of many bad years to come. By the early 1930s, one out of three people was not working. People lost their jobs, their houses, or both and ended up in shantytowns called “Hoovervilles” named for the president at the time of the crash. By 1933, many banks had gone under. Though the U.S. has seen...

Grab your Js and hit the court with this Who Was? biography about NBA superstar Michael Jordan.Meet the man who changed the game forever. Michael Jordan has always been competitive--even as a young boy, he fought for attention. His need to be the best made him a star player on his college basketball team and helped him become an NBA legend, both for his skills and his endorsements. His Nike contract for Air Jordan basketball shoes set an unmatched precedent for pro...

Learn about Tornado Alley, the area in the United States where tornadoes are most frequently formed and often cause the most damage.Robert Miller and Ernest Fawbush coined the term "Tornado Alley" after studying the pattern of tornadoes that occurred around Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. They determined that the highest number of tornadoes in the United States took place across states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. In this exciting new book, rea...

Something wicked was brewing in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It started when two girls, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, began having hysterical fits. Soon after, other local girls claimed they were being pricked with pins. With no scientific explanation available, the residents of Salem came to one conclusion: it was witchcraft! Over the next year and a half, nineteen people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged while more languished in prison as hysteria swept the ...

Though she grew up in rural Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson dreamed of the sea. In 1936 she began work with the Bureau of Fisheries and soon after published Under the Sea Wind, her first of many nature books. Her 1962 bestseller, Silent Spring, sent shockwaves through the country and warned of the dangers of DDT and other pesticides. A pioneering environmentalist, Rachel Carson helped awaken the global consciousness for conservation and preservation.

Read the story of the Founding Father who inspired the smash Broadway musical.Born in the British West Indies and orphaned as a child, Alexander Hamilton made his way to the American Colonies and studied to become a lawyer. He joined a local militia during the American Revolution, rose to the rank of Major General, and became the chief aide to General George Washington. After the war, he became the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He founded the Bank of New Yo...

Have you ever wondered how AI came to be? How did ChatGPT develop? Who is “Siri”? Find out everything you need to know about the rise of AI and advancing technology, including future applications and concerns, in this informative book that features 16 pages of photos.It all began in 1822 when an English mathematician created the “Difference Engine,” the world’s first mechanical calculating machine. Fast-forward two hundred years, and cars are beginning to drive the...

Meet some of the most endangered species in the world, from the panthers of Florida to the mountain gorillas of central Africa, while exploring the history of extinction, the role of humans in environmental conservation, and the incredible species that share our earth.In What Are Endangered Species?, readers will travel around the world, on sea and on land, to learn about the animals, insects, and plants that are in danger of disappearing from our planet. ...

Explore the most amazing wonders of the ancient world!More than 2,000 years ago, travelers wrote about the incredible sights they saw while on their journeys. They told tales of hanging gardens that were built for a Babylonian queen, and a colossal statue that guided ships through the harbor of Rhodes in Greece. These writers compiled a list of the very best of these sights that are now known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Author Yona Zeldis McDonough t...