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What was...?

Author:
Demuth, Patricia
Pollack, Pam
O'Connor, Jim
Krull, Kathleen
Holub, Joan
McDonough, Yona Zeldis
Pascal, Janet B
St. George, Judith, 1931
Anastasio, Dina
Herman, Gail, 1959
Koontz, Robin
Harris, Michael C., 1978
Hoobler, Dorothy
Stine, Megan
Medina, Nico, 1982
Hopkinson, Deborah
Bader, Bonnie, 1961
Sabol, Stephanie
Mortlock, Michele
Fabiny, Sarah
Yacka, Douglas
Smith, Sherri L
Brallier, Jess M
Wilson, Lakita
Abramson, Jill, 1954
Shaw, Gina
Daly-Weir, Catherine
Edwards, Roberta
 
Showing 1 - 55 of 55
Book cover for "What was Pearl Harbor?".
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Shares coverage of the events surrounding the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, offering insight into the devastation that sank four battleships and killed more than two thousand servicemen before propelling the United States into World War II.
Book cover for "What was the Alamo?".
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""Remember the Alamo!" is still a rallying cry more than 175 years after the siege in Texas, where a small band of men held off about two thousand soldiers of the Mexican Army for twelve days. The Alamo was a crucial turning point in the Texas Revolution, and led to the creation of the Republic of Texas. With 80 black-and-white illustrations throughout and a sixteen-page black-and-white photo insert, young readers will relive this famous moment in...
Book cover for "What was the Battle of Gettysburg?".
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"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.
Book cover for "What was the Boston Tea Party?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What was the first Thanksgiving?".
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Learn more about the history of the feast that started off as a harvest celebration and has now become a national holiday.
After their first harvest in 1621, the Pilgrims at Plymouth shared a three-day feast with their Native American neighbors. Of course, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag didn’t know it at the time, but they were making history.

Book cover for "What was the Gold Rush?".
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Describes the nineteenth century American gold rush, and includes information on gold rush "boomtowns," relations between Native Americans and gold rush pioneers, and the importance of the gold rush on American history.
Book cover for "What was the March on Washington?".
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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!
Book cover for "What was the underground railroad?".
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"No one knows where the term Underground Railroad came from--there were no trains or tracks, only "conductors" who helped escaping slaves to freedom. Including real stories about "passengers" on the "Railroad," this book chronicles slaves' close calls with bounty hunters, exhausting struggles on the road, and what they sacrificed for freedom. With 80 black-and-white illustrations throughout and a sixteen-page black-and-white photo insert, the Underground...
Book cover for "What is the Panama Canal?".
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Describes the struggles and accomplishments in building the Panama Canal and its current status.
Book cover for "What is the Statue of Liberty?".
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Describes the history of the Statue of Liberty, including its origins as a gift from France and its construction, and explores the landmark's enduring symbolism of freedom, democracy, and friendship.
Book cover for "What was Ellis Island?".
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Book cover for "What Was Pompeii?".
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The morning of August 24, AD 79, seemed like any other in the Roman city of Pompeii. So no one was prepared when the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius suddenly erupted, spouting ash that buried the city and its inhabitants. The disaster left thousands dead, and Pompeii was no more than a memory for almost 1,700 years. In 1748, explorers rediscovered the port city with intact buildings and beautiful mosaics. This easy-to-read account is gripping and includes...
Book cover for "What was the Hindenburg?".
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Describes the history of the Hindenburg airship and its fateful flight from Germany to the United States in 1937, when it burst into flames upon arrival, and details the decline of the use of airships for commercial transportation.
Book cover for "What was the Lewis and Clark Expedition?".
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Presents an account of the two-and-a-half-year expedition that yielded vast knowledge of the West, geographically and scientifically.
Book cover for "What is the Super Bowl?".
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Introduces facts about the Super Bowl, including the history of the game, famous players throughout its history, and the spectacle of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Book cover for "What is the World Series?".
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Every October, millions of baseball fans around the country anxiously wait to see which team wins baseball's biggest championship. But the original games of the 1900s hardly look like they do today. Take a look back over one hundred years and discover the history of baseball's greatest series. With triumphs, heartbreak, and superstitious curses, this action-packed book brings America's Pastime to life.
Book cover for "What was D-Day?".
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Presents the events leading to and during the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II, describing the importance of the campaign and its effect on the outcome of the war.
Book cover for "What was Hurricane Katrina?".
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"On August 25th, 2005, one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes in history hit the Gulf of Mexico. High winds and rain pummeled coastal communities, including the City of New Orleans, which was left under 15 feet of water in some areas after the levees burst. Track this powerful storm from start to finish, from rescue efforts large and small to storm survivors' tales of triumph"--
Book cover for "What was the Great Depression?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What were the Salem Witch Trials?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What are the summer Olympics?".
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Describes the history of the summer Olympics, from the ancient Greek competition to the modern worldwide games, and includes historical facts, trivia, and notable Olympic athletes.
Book cover for "What is the Declaration of Independence?".
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"Step back in time to the birth of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation--The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom,...
Book cover for "What was the Great Chicago Fire?".
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"Did the Great Chicago Fire really start after a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn? Find out the truth in this addition to the What Was? series. On Sunday, October 8, 1871, a fire started on the south side of Chicago. A long drought made the neighborhood go up in flames. And practically everything that could go wrong did. Firemen first went to the wrong location. Fierce winds helped the blaze jump the Chicago River twice. The Chicago Waterworks...
Book cover for "What was the San Francisco Earthquake?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What was Woodstock?".
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"On August 15, 1969, a music festival called 'Woodstock' transformed one small dairy farm in upstate New York into a gathering place for over 400,000 young music fans. Concert-goers, called 'hippies,' traveled from all over the country to see their favorite musicians perform. Famous artists like The Grateful Dead played day and night in a celebration of peace, love, and happiness. Although Woodstock lasted only three days, the spirit of the festival...
Book cover for "What were the Twin Towers?".
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"Discover the true story of the Twin Towers--how they came to be the tallest buildings in the world and why they were destroyed. When the Twin Towers were built in 1973, they were billed as an architectural wonder. At 1,368 feet, they clocked in as the tallest buildings in the world and changed the New York City skyline dramatically. Offices and corporations moved into the towers--also known as the World Trade Center--and the buildings were seen...
Book cover for "What are the ten commandments?".
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"Here is the story behind the ten laws that have been the guiding light of Judeo-Christian belief. Not just about Moses, whose origin story leaves open questions, this book looks back at the time when the commandments were written, how the belief in one all-powerful God set the Israelites apart from other ancient peoples, and the roles the Ten Commandments have played in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also looks at what each individual commandment...
Book cover for "What is rock and roll?".
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Looks at the history of rock music, its different styles, and its impact on a generation.
Book cover for "What was the age of the dinosaurs?".
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Presents facts about the prehistoric world in which dinosaurs lived, the types of dinosaurs that lived in different time periods, and how dinosaur bones were discovered and studied.
Book cover for "What was the Ice Age?".
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Go back 20,000 years ago to a time of much colder global temperatures when glaciers and extensive sheets of ice covered much of our planet. As these sheets traveled, they caused enormous changes in the Earth's landscape and climate, leading to the evolution of creatures such as giant armadillos, saber-toothed cats, and woolly mammoths as well as club-wielding Neanderthals and later the cleverer modern humans. Nico Medina re-creates this harsh ancient...
Book cover for "What is climate change?".
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Presents an overview of climate change, discussing if humans are at fault for the rapidly warming Earth, and describes why climate change has recently become a political issue.
Book cover for "What is the constitution?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What is the women's rights movement?".
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Chronicles the women's rights movement in the United States, from the beginning of the movement in the nineteenth century and the fight for equal rights in the 1960s to such present-day events as the Women's March in 2017.
Book cover for "What is the World Cup?".
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Describes the history of the soccer World Cup, covering clothing and equipment, host stadiums, the rules, qualifying to participate, and the most successful teams.
Book cover for "What was the Titanic?".
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"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...
Book cover for "What were the roaring twenties?".
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"Flappers, flag-pole sitting, and the Ford Model T--these are just a few of the things that instantly conjure up a unique era--the Roaring Twenties. It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with another: the start of the Great Depression. But in between there...
Book cover for "What is NASA?".
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"Find out all about NASA in this out-of-this-world addition to the What Was? series. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, began in 1958. With its creation, the United States hoped to ensure it won the space race against the Soviet Union. Author Sarah Fabiny describes the origins of NASA, the launching of the Apollo program that landed the first human on the moon, and the many missions and discoveries that have taken...
Book cover for "What is the Stanley Cup?".
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Ice hockey fans will pull on their skates and gear up for this Who HQ title about the Stanley Cup Finals—the National Hockey League's championship games.
Out of the thirty-two pro hockey teams that compete, only one can call itself the champion and proudly hoist up the Stanley Cup—the oldest sports trophy in the world! From the formation of the leagues and the crowning of the first championship-winning team, to the Rangers' Stanley Cup...
Book cover for "What was Stonewall?".
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Book cover for "What was the Holocaust?".
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"A thoughtful and age-appropriate introduction to an unimaginable event--the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a genocide on a scale never before seen, with as many as twelve million people killed in Nazi death camps--six million of them Jews. Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, whose rabid anti-Semitism led first to humiliating anti-Jewish laws, then to ghettos all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to the Final Solution. She presents...
Book cover for "What was the Vietnam War?".
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"Learn how the United States ended up fighting for twenty years in a remote country on the other side of the world. The Vietnam War was as much a part of the tumultuous Sixties as Flower Power and the Civil Rights Movement. Five US presidents were convinced that American troops could end a war in the small, divided country of Vietnam and stop Communism from spreading in Southeast Asia. But they were wrong, and the result was the death of 58,000 American...
Book cover for "What are the paralympic games?".
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"As the Opening Ceremony for the 1948 Summer Olympic Games commenced in London, a similar sporting competition was taking place a few miles away. But the men at Stoke Mandeville weren't your typical athletes. They were paralyzed World War II veterans. The games at Stoke Mandeville were so successful that they would eventually lead evolve into the Paralympics. Participants from all around the world vie for the gold medal in a variety of sports, including...

43.  What is a presidential election?

 
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Book cover for "What is LEGO?".
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"The LEGO toy company was founded in 1934 by a Danish carpenter who loved making wooden pull toys. From its humble beginnings, the company has lived up to its name--which comes from the Danish phrase meaning to always "play well"--encouraging children to use their imagination and build whatever they can dream up. In this book, author Jim O'Connor describes how a simple concept--small plastic bricks that snap together--morphed into a cultural phenomenon"--...
Book cover for "What is the civil rights movement?".
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"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"--
Book cover for "What was the bombing of Hiroshima?".
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"By August 1945, World War II was over in Europe, but the fighting continued between American forces and the Japanese, who were losing but determined to fight till the bitter end. And so it fell to a new president--Harry S. Truman--to make the fateful decision to drop two atomic bombs--one on Hiroshima and one on Nagasaki--and bring the war to rapid close. Now, even seventy years later, can anyone know if this was the right choice? In a thoughtful...
Book cover for "What are the Winter Olympics?".
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"Although fans the world over have been fascinated by the modern Summer Olympics since 1896, the Winter Olympics didn't officially begin until 1924. The event celebrates cold-weather sports, displaying the talents of skiers, ice skaters, hockey players, and, most recently, snowboarders. Like its summer counterpart, the Winter Games are dedicated to bringing together the world's top athletes to honor their talents and see who gets to stand on the medal...
Book cover for "What is Black Lives Matter?".
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"When a Black teenager named Trayvon Martin was senselessly killed in 2012, the African American community called for his murderer to be held accountable. But like many other racially sparked incidents in the past, his killer walked free. People looked for justice and healing in the moment. They turned to social media and a simple yet powerful hashtag emerged, #BlackLivesMatter. The message grew into an international movement and has now become the...
Book cover for "What is Congress?".
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"Whether Congress is in session or not, here is an enthralling overview about the branch of our government closest to average Americans."--Amazon.com.
Book cover for "What is Nintendo?".
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Introduces readers to Nintendo, one of the most influential companies in the video game industry and creator of some of the top-selling video game franchises of all-time
Book cover for "What was the Age of Exploration?".
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"Before the fifteenth century, European sailors were unsure what waited for them beyond their well-known travel routes around the Mediterranean Sea, so they kept within sight of land. But all of that changed after Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal started sending ships down the coast in the hope of finding a sea route to India and Africa. This was the beginning of a giant leap toward understanding what the globe actually looked like. Certain...
Book cover for "What was the Harlem Renaissance?".
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"Travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s to the sounds of jazz in nightclubs and the 24-hours-a-day bustle of the famous Black neighborhood of Harlem in uptown Manhattan. It was a dazzling time when there was an outpouring of the arts of African Americans--the poetry of Langston Hughes, the novels of Zora Neale Hurston, the sculptures of Augusta Savage, and that brand-new music called jazz as only Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong could play it....
Book cover for "What was the Plague?".
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"While the coronavirus COVID-19 changed the world in 2020, it still isn't the largest and deadliest pandemic in history. That title is held by the Plague. This disease, also known as the “Black Death,” spread throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe in the fourteenth century and claimed an astonishing 50 million lives by the time it officially ended. Author Roberta Edwards takes readers back to these grimy and horrific years, explaining just how this...
Book cover for "What are castles and knights?".
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"Castles may conjure up a romantic fairy tale world; however, in real life, during the Middle Ages, castles were fortresses, providing shelter and protection for the lord as well as for the peasants who lived on his land. For an army, a lord depended on young soldiers in armor called knights who spent years at the castle learning the skills of warfare"--
Book cover for "What is the Supreme Court?".
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"Best-selling author, former executive editor of the New York Times, and self-confessed political junkie, Jill Abramson has written a detailed and fascinating book that explains how the highest court in the United States works, who gets to serve on it, which cases have had the greatest impact on the country, and why the US justice system is so vital to democracy"--