What Was...? Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of What Was...? books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: January 2026
Publication Order
What Was the Hindenburg? (By: Kevin McVeigh,David Groff,Janet B. Pascal)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? (By: John Mantha,Jim O'Connor,James Bennett)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the Gold Rush? (With: Tim Tomkinson)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the March on Washington? (By: Tim Tomkinson,Kathleen Krull)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the Boston Tea Party? (By: Lauren Mortimer,Kathleen Krull)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was Pearl Harbor? (By: John Mantha,Patricia Brennan Demuth)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the Alamo? (By: Meg Belviso,David Groff,Pam Pollack)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was the Underground Railroad? (By: Yona Zeldis McDonough,Lauren Mortimer)
Buy on Amazon2013
What Was Pompeii? (By: John Hinderliter,Jim O'Connor,Who Hq)
Buy on Amazon2014
What Was Ellis Island? (By: David Groff,Patricia Brennan Demuth)
Buy on Amazon2014
What Is the Statue of Liberty? (With: John Hinderliter)
Buy on Amazon2014
What Is the Panama Canal? (By: Janet B. Pascal)
Buy on Amazon2014
What Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition? (By: Megan Stine,Who HQ)
Buy on Amazon2014
What Was D-Day? (By: Patricia Brennan Demuth,David Grayson Kenyon)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Is the World Series? (By: Gail Herman,Scott Anderson)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Was Hurricane Katrina? (By: John Hinderliter,Robin Koontz)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Were the Salem Witch Trials? (With: Dede Putra)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Is the Super Bowl? (By: David Groff,Dina Anastasio)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Was the Great Depression? (By: Dede Putra,Janet B. Pascal)
Buy on Amazon2015
What Was Woodstock?
Buy on Amazon2016
What Are the Summer Olympics? (By: Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2016
What Is the Declaration of Independence? (By: Jerry Hoare,Michael C. Harris)
Buy on Amazon2016
What Were the Twin Towers? (By: Ted Hammond,Jim O'Connor)
Buy on Amazon2016
What Was the Great Chicago Fire? (By: Janet B. Pascal)
Buy on Amazon2016
What Was the San Francisco Earthquake? (By: Dorothy Hoobler,Thomas Hoobler)
Buy on Amazon2016
What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs? (By: Megan Stine,Gregory Copeland)
Buy on Amazon2017
What Was the Wild West? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Janet B. Pascal)
Buy on Amazon2017
What Is Rock and Roll? (By: Gregory Copeland,Jim O'Connor)
Buy on Amazon2017
What Was the Ice Age? (By: Nico Medina,David Groff)
Buy on Amazon2017
What Are the Ten Commandments? (By: Yona Zeldis McDonough)
Buy on Amazon2017
What Is the World Cup? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Bonnie Bader)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Was the Titanic? (By: Gregory Copeland,Stephanie Sabol)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Was the Holocaust? (By: Jerry Hoare,Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Is Climate Change? (By: John Hinderliter,Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Is the Constitution? (By: Patricia Brennan Demuth)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Is the Women's Rights Movement? (By: Deborah Hopkinson)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Were the Roaring Twenties? (By: Jake Murray,Michele Mortlock)
Buy on Amazon2018
What Is the Stanley Cup? (By: Gregory Copeland,Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Was Stonewall? (By: Nico Medina,Jake Murray)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Is NASA? (By: Ted Hammond,Sarah Fabiny)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Was the Vietnam War? (By: Jim O'Connor)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Was the Berlin Wall? (By: Nico Medina,Stephen Marchesi)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Were the Negro Leagues? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Varian Johnson)
Buy on Amazon2019
What Are the Paralympic Games? (By: Andrew Thomson,Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2020
What Was the Bombing of Hiroshima? (By: Jess Brallier)
Buy on Amazon2020
What Is LEGO? (By: Ted Hammond,Jim O'Connor,Who Hq)
Buy on Amazon2020
What Is a Presidential Election? (By: Douglas Yacka)
Buy on Amazon2020
What Is the Civil Rights Movement? (By: Sherri L. Smith)
Buy on Amazon2020
What Is Nintendo? (By: Andrew Thomson,Gina Shaw)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Was the Age of Exploration? (By: Catherine R. Daly,Jake Murray)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Is Congress? (By: David Malan,Jill Abramson)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Is Black Lives Matter? (By: Lakita Wilson)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Are the Winter Olympics? (By: Jake Murray,Gail Herman)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Was the Plague? (By: Dede Putra,Roberta Edwards,Who Hq)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Was the Harlem Renaissance? (By: Sherri L. Smith)
Buy on Amazon2021
What Are Castles and Knights? (By: Dede Putra,Sarah Fabiny)
Buy on Amazon2022
What Is Juneteenth? (By: Kirsti Jewel)
Buy on Amazon2022
What Is the AIDS Crisis? (By: Nico Medina)
Buy on Amazon2022
What Is the Supreme Court? (By: Gregory Copeland,Jill Abramson,Who Hq)
Buy on Amazon2022
What Was Reconstruction? (By: Sherri L. Smith)
Buy on Amazon2022
What Is the Women's World Cup? (By: Ted Hammond,Gina Shaw)
Buy on Amazon2023
What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921? (By: Caleb Gayle)
Buy on Amazon2023
What Was World War I? (By: Nico Medina,Dede Putra)
Buy on Amazon2023
What Was the Donner Party? (By: Ben Hubbard)
Buy on Amazon2023
What Was the Children's Blizzard of 1888? (By: Dede Putra,Steve Korté)
Buy on Amazon2023
Frequently Asked Questions
The recommended reading order for the What Was...? series is publication order: 1. What Was the Hindenburg? (By: Kevin McVeigh,David Groff,Janet B. Pascal) (2013), 2. What Was the Battle of Gettysburg? (By: John Mantha,Jim O'Connor,James Bennett) (2013), 3. What Was the Gold Rush? (With: Tim Tomkinson) (2013), 4. What Was the March on Washington? (By: Tim Tomkinson,Kathleen Krull) (2013), 5. What Was the Boston Tea Party? (By: Lauren Mortimer,Kathleen Krull) (2013), and 60 more. This is generally the best way to experience the story as the author intended.
The What Was...? series by Joan Holub contains 65 books. The series began in 2013 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.
The What Was...? series is written by Joan Holub. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.
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