They Did It First: 50 Scientists, Artists And Mathematicians Who Changed The World

by Julie Leung, Caitlin Kuhwald (Illustrator ), Alex Hart (Editor)

The greatest challenge is believing it's possible . . .
They Did It First features fifty trailblazing scientists, artists and mathematicians who were not afraid to dream big and be the FIRST. Discover the pioneers who defied the boundaries of possibility and went on to revolutionise the world.
Written by Julie Leung and beautifully illustrated throughout by Caitlin Kuhwald, the extraordinary men and women profiled include well-known figures such as Alan Turing, Jane Goodall and Aretha Franklin, alongside lesser-known achievers, such as Thai Lee, the first Korean woman to graduate Harvard Business School, and Walter Alvarez, who was the first person to theorise that dinosaurs died from an asteroid blast.
These visionaries came from all walks of life and faced different challenges, but all of them went on to achieve great things and make outstanding contributions to their fields, paving the way for others who came after them.

128 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2020

About the author

JULIE LEUNG is an award-winning author of numerous children’s books. Her picture book, The Truth About Dragons is a Caldecott Honor and winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. By day, she works in book publishing. She was raised in the sleepy suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, though it may be more accurate to say she grew up in Oz and came of age in Middle-earth.

Reviews

[Nadia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute disappointment. The book title suggests an intro to scientists and mathematicians and I was expecting to read about people who invented the telephone or electricity or wheel or clone technology or Neil Armstrong and so on. Instead I get an average lot of people who did great things like being the first woman to graduate from Harvard or winning the first award despite being Asian; also very US centric.
Wouldn't reccomend it

[Dương Thục Nữ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through vibrant infographics, the book features 50 pioneers who pushed past the established thinking of their time, past gender and racial barriers, to become a first in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

I had an interestingly well spent two hours standing in the bookstore located in a shopping mall in the busiest shopping district of one of the most visited capitals in Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur.

[Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provided a quick life and work overview of the featured scientists, artists, and mathematicians.