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...

Get to know the Oscar-nominated star of Wonka, Dune, and A Complete Unknown! This is the perfect read for young movie fans, aspiring actors, and theater kids.Timothée Chalamet grew up in a family of artists and performers in New York City. From a young age, he knew that he wanted to be a great actor. He made his television debut at just fourteen years old on the popular show Law & Order. While attending a prestigious performing a...

Learn about one of the worst tragedies in American history: the Indian Removal Act of 1830.From 1838 to 1839, thousands of people from the Cherokee Nation and other Indigenous tribes were forced off their homelands because the white settlers believed this land belonged to them. The journey, which became known as the Trail of Tears, took up to six months and saw the Cherokee traveling across rivers, valleys, and mountains for over eight hundred miles in bitter cold ...

The unbelievable true story of one of the strangest disasters in history—part of the New York Times bestselling What Was? series, featuring 16 pages of photos.On an unusually warm winter day in Boston, Massachusetts, a storage tank in the city's North End burst, flooding the neighborhood with 2.3 million gallons of molasses. The Red Cross, the Army, the Navy, and the Massachusetts Nautical School all launched courageous rescue missions to save people from ...

Learn all about the life and career of former Disney star Selena Gomez, and discover how she went from Wizards of Waverly Place to becoming one of the biggest names in music, television, and pop culture.Selena Gomez has always had a knack for performing. She grew up singing, dancing, and putting on shows for her Italian Mexican American family at home in Texas. It didn’t take long for Selena to become a television regular on Barney & Friends, land...

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...

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black—and first female—streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and toured the U.S. and Europe as an opera st...

The truly inspiring story of the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.Outspoken, energetic, and fun, Sonia Sotomayor has managed to turn every struggle in life into a triumph. Born in the Bronx to immigrant parents from Puerto Rico, Sonia found out at age nine that she had diabetes, a serious illness now but an even more dangerous one fifty years ago. How did young Sonia handle the devastating news? She learned to give herself her daily insulin shots and became deter...

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...

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.

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...

The story of how a young Southern girl who was raised on a pig farm became one of the most influential and inspiring people in the world.We all know Oprah Winfrey as a talk-show host, actress, producer, media mogul, and philanthropist, but the "Queen of Talk" wasn't always so fortunate. She suffered through a rough childhood and went on to use her personal struggles as motivation. Oprah's kindness, resilience, and determination are just some of the many reasons why...