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Books in What Was? series

  • What Was Pearl Harbor?

    Patricia Brennan Demuth, John Mantha, Tim Tomkinson

    Hardcover (Grosset & Dunlap, June 27, 2013)
    A terrifying attack! On December 7, 1941, Japanese war planes appeared out of nowhere to bomb the American base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a highly secretive and devastating attack: four battleships sunk, more than two thousand servicemen died, and the United States was propelled into World War II. In a compelling, easy-to-read narrative, children will learn all about a pivotal moment in American history.
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  • What Was the Wild West?

    Janet B. Pascal, Who HQ, Stephen Marchesi

    Library Binding (Penguin Workshop, April 25, 2017)
    Saddle up and get ready for a ride back into the wild and wooly past of the American West.The west was at its wildest from 1865 to 1895, when territories west of the Mississippi River remained untamed and lawless. Famous for cowboys, American Indians, lawmen, gunslingers, pioneers, and prospectors, this period in US history captures the imagination of all kids and now is brought vividly to life.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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  • What Was The San Francisco Earthquake?

    Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas, Ted Hammond

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, Oct. 25, 2016)
    FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake. One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake--one that registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Not only was there major damage from the quake itself but broken gas lines sparked a fire that ravaged the city for days. More than 500 city blocks were destroyed and over 200,000 people were left homeless. But the city quickly managed to rebuild, rising from the ashes to become the major tourist destination it is today. Here's an exciting recount of an incredible disaster.
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  • What Is The Constitution?

    Patricia Brennan Demuth, Tim Foley

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, July 10, 2018)
    FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. We the people at Who HQ bring readers the full story--arguments and all--of how the US Constitution came into being. Signed on September 17, 1787--four years after the American War for Independence--the Constitution laid out the supreme law of the United States of America. Today it's easy for us to take this blueprint of our government for granted. But the Framers--fifty-five men from almost all of the original 13 states--argued fiercely for many months over what ended up being only a four-page document. Here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the hotly fought issues--those between Northern and Southern States; big states and little ones--and the key players such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington who suffered through countless revisions to make the Constitution happen.
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  • What Was the San Francisco Earthquake?

    Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler, Who HQ, Ted Hammond

    Library Binding (Penguin Workshop, Oct. 25, 2016)
    In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake.One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake—one that registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Not only was there major damage from the quake itself but broken gas lines sparked a fire that ravaged the city for days. More than 500 city blocks were destroyed and over 200,000 people were left homeless. But the city quickly managed to rebuild, rising from the ashes to become the major tourist destination it is today. Here's an exciting recount of an incredible disaster.
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  • What Was The Wild West?

    Janet B. Pascal, Stephen Marchesi

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, May 16, 2017)
    FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Saddle up and get ready for a ride back into the wild and wooly past of the American West. The west was at its wildest from 1865 to 1895, when territories west of the Mississippi River remained untamed and lawless.Famous for cowboys, American Indians, lawmen, gunslingers, pioneers, and prospectors, this period in US history captures the imagination of all kids and now is brought vividly to life.
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  • What Is the Women's Rights Movement?

    Deborah Hopkinson

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, Feb. 28, 2019)
    The story of Girl Power! Learn about the remarkable women who changed US history. From Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Gloria Steinem and Hillary Clinton, women throughout US history have fought for equality. Author Deborah Hopkinson chronicles the beginning of the movement in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when women were demanding the right to vote. She explores the 1960s, which pushed equal rights and opportunities for women--both at home and in the workplace--even further, and then moves toward present-day events, including the Women's March that took place all across the United States in 2017. Celebrate how far women have come with this inspiring read!
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  • What Was the Boston Tea Party?

    Kathleen Krull, Who HQ, Lauren Mortimer

    Hardcover (Penguin Workshop, Feb. 7, 2013)
    "No Taxation without Representation!" The Boston Tea Party stands as an iconic event of the American Revolution—outraged by the tax on tea, American colonists chose to destroy the tea by dumping it into the water! Learn all about the famed colonialists who fought against the British Monarchy, and read about this act of rebellion from our history! With black-and-white illustrations throughout and sixteen pages of photos, the Boston Tea party is brought to life!
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  • What Was The Titanic?

    Stephanie Sabol, Gregory Copeland

    Library Binding (Turtleback Books, March 27, 2018)
    FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. For more than 100 years, people have been captivated by the disastrous sinking of the Titanic that claimed over 1,500 lives. Now young readers can find out why the great ship went down and how it was discovered seventy-five years later. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic, the largest passenger steamship of this time, met its catastrophic end after crashing into an iceberg. Of the 2,240 passengers and crew onboard, only 705 survived. More than 100 years later, today's readers will be intrigued by the mystery that surrounds this ship that was originally labeled ""unsinkable.
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  • What Is the Civil Rights Movement?

    Sherri L. Smith, Who HQ, Tim Foley

    Hardcover (Penguin Workshop, Dec. 29, 2020)
    Relive the moments when African Americans fought for equal rights, and made history.Even though slavery had ended in the 1860s, African Americans were still suffering under the weight of segregation a hundred years later. They couldn't go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, or even use the same bathrooms as white people. But by the 1950s, black people refused to remain second-class citizens and were willing to risk their lives to make a change. Author Sherri L. Smith brings to life momentous events through the words and stories of people who were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.This book also features the fun black-and-white illustrations and engaging 16-page photo insert that readers have come love about the What Was? series!
  • What Was the Battle of Gettysburg?

    Jim O'Connor, John Mantha, James Bennett

    Hardcover (Grosset & Dunlap, Feb. 7, 2013)
    "Four score and seven years ago..." begins Abraham Lincoln's beautiful speech commemorating the three-day battle that turned the tide of the Civil War. The South had been winning up to this point. So how did Union troops stop General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North? With black-and-illustrations throughout and sixteen pages of photos, this turning point in history is brought vividly to life.
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  • What Was the March on Washington?

    Kathleen Krull, Who HQ, Tim Tomkinson

    Hardcover (Penguin Workshop, Feb. 7, 2013)
    On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to demand equal rights for all races. It was there that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, and it was this peaceful protest that spurred the momentous civil rights laws of the mid-1960s. With black-and-white artwork throughout and sixteen pages of photographs, the March is brought to life!
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