What Was...? Books in Order

65

Books

2013

First Book

2023

Latest Book

11

Years

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

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? (By: Joan Holub,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

6

What Was Pearl Harbor? (By: John Mantha,Patricia Brennan Demuth)

2013

7

What Was the Alamo? (By: Meg Belviso,David Groff,Pam Pollack)

2013

8

What Was the Underground Railroad? (By: Yona Zeldis McDonough,Lauren Mortimer)

2013

9

What Was Pompeii? (By: John Hinderliter,Jim O'Connor,Who Hq)

2014

10

What Was Ellis Island? (By: David Groff,Patricia Brennan Demuth)

2014

11

What Is the Statue of Liberty? (By: John Hinderliter,Joan Holub)

2014

12

What Is the Panama Canal? (By: Janet B. Pascal)

2014

13

What Was the Lewis and Clark Expedition? (By: Megan Stine,Who HQ)

2014

14

What Was D-Day? (By: Patricia Brennan Demuth,David Grayson Kenyon)

2015

15

What Is the World Series? (By: Gail Herman,Scott Anderson)

2015

16

What Was Hurricane Katrina? (By: John Hinderliter,Robin Koontz)

2015

17

What Were the Salem Witch Trials? (By: Dede Putra,Joan Holub)

2015

18

What Is the Super Bowl? (By: David Groff,Dina Anastasio)

2015

19

What Was the Great Depression? (By: Dede Putra,Janet B. Pascal)

2015

20

What Was Woodstock? (By: Joan Holub)

2016

21

What Are the Summer Olympics? (By: Gail Herman)

2016

22

What Is the Declaration of Independence? (By: Jerry Hoare,Michael C. Harris)

2016

23

What Were the Twin Towers? (By: Ted Hammond,Jim O'Connor)

2016

24

What Was the Great Chicago Fire? (By: Janet B. Pascal)

2016

25

What Was the San Francisco Earthquake? (By: Dorothy Hoobler,Thomas Hoobler)

2016

26

What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs? (By: Megan Stine,Gregory Copeland)

2017

27

What Was the Wild West? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Janet B. Pascal)

2017

28

What Is Rock and Roll? (By: Gregory Copeland,Jim O'Connor)

2017

29

What Was the Ice Age? (By: Nico Medina,David Groff)

2017

30

What Are the Ten Commandments? (By: Yona Zeldis McDonough)

2017

31

What Is the World Cup? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Bonnie Bader)

2018

32

What Was the Titanic? (By: Gregory Copeland,Stephanie Sabol)

2018

33

What Was the Holocaust? (By: Jerry Hoare,Gail Herman)

2018

34

What Is Climate Change? (By: John Hinderliter,Gail Herman)

2018

35

What Is the Constitution? (By: Patricia Brennan Demuth)

2018

36

What Is the Women's Rights Movement? (By: Deborah Hopkinson)

2018

37

What Were the Roaring Twenties? (By: Jake Murray,Michele Mortlock)

2018

38

What Is the Stanley Cup? (By: Gregory Copeland,Gail Herman)

2019

39

What Was Stonewall? (By: Nico Medina,Jake Murray)

2019

40

What Is NASA? (By: Ted Hammond,Sarah Fabiny)

2019

41

What Was the Vietnam War? (By: Jim O'Connor)

2019

42

What Was the Berlin Wall? (By: Nico Medina,Stephen Marchesi)

2019

43

What Were the Negro Leagues? (By: Stephen Marchesi,Varian Johnson)

2019

44

What Are the Paralympic Games? (By: Andrew Thomson,Gail Herman)

2020

45

What Was the Bombing of Hiroshima? (By: Jess Brallier)

2020

46

What Is LEGO? (By: Ted Hammond,Jim O'Connor,Who Hq)

2020

47

What Is a Presidential Election? (By: Douglas Yacka)

2020

48

What Is the Civil Rights Movement? (By: Sherri L. Smith)

2020

49

What Is Nintendo? (By: Andrew Thomson,Gina Shaw)

2021

50

What Was the Age of Exploration? (By: Catherine R. Daly,Jake Murray)

2021

51

What Is Congress? (By: David Malan,Jill Abramson)

2021

52

What Is Black Lives Matter?

2021

53

What Are the Winter Olympics? (By: Jake Murray,Gail Herman)

2021

54

What Was the Plague? (By: Dede Putra,Roberta Edwards,Who Hq)

2021

55

What Was the Harlem Renaissance? (By: Sherri L. Smith)

2021

56

What Are Castles and Knights? (By: Dede Putra,Sarah Fabiny)

2022

57

What Is Juneteenth? (By: Kirsti Jewel)

2022

58

What Is the AIDS Crisis? (By: Nico Medina)

2022

59

What Is the Supreme Court? (By: Gregory Copeland,Jill Abramson,Who Hq)

2022

60

What Was Reconstruction? (By: Sherri L. Smith)

2022

61

What Is the Women's World Cup? (By: Ted Hammond,Gina Shaw)

2023

62

What Was the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921? (By: Caleb Gayle)

2023

63

What Was World War I? (By: Nico Medina,Dede Putra)

2023

64

What Was the Donner Party? (By: Ben Hubbard)

2023

65

What Was the Children's Blizzard of 1888? (By: Dede Putra,Steve Korté)

2023

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? (By: Joan Holub,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 Lakita Wilson contains 65 books. The series began in 2013 and continues to be a popular choice for readers.

The What Was...? series is written by Lakita Wilson. You can find more books and series by this author on our website.

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