Who Was...?

Who Was? or Who HQ is a series of children's non-fiction books published by Penguin Books. The "Who Was...?", "What Was?...", "Where Is?...", "What Is the Story Of?...", "What Do We Know About?..." and "Who HQ Now" series tell the stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, significant landmarks, and historical events.[1] Covering everything from sports to politics, the "Who HQ Now" series focuses on trending topics and prominent subjects discussed in the news.[2] As of December 2022, the series had over 250 entries, sold over 20 million copies, and has been on the New York Times Best Seller list.[3][4]

The first four Who Was? books — Who Was Sacagawea?, Who Was Ben Franklin?, Who Was Albert Einstein?, and Who Was Annie Oakley?—were published on February 18, 2002. Penguin Books publishes about 24 new books each year.[5] Example entrants in the series due for publication in 2024 include Taylor Swift,[6] Michael Phelps,[7] Lin-Manuel Miranda,[8] Billie Jean King,[9] Langston Hughes,[10] Aaron Judge,[11] the story of Godzilla,[12] the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916[13] and more.

  1. ^ "Books Archive". Who HQ. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Who HQ Now". Who HQ. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2017-05-10 Deadline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Books Archive". Who HQ. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "FAQ". Who HQ. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Who Is Taylor Swift? by Kirsten Anderson, Who HQ: 9780593754221 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "Who Was Michael Phelps? by Micah Hecht, Who HQ:". PenguinRandomhouse.com. ISBN 9781524791025. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Who Was Lin-Manuel Miranda? by Elijah Rey-David Matos, Who HQ: 9780593750773". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  9. ^ "Who Is Billy Jean King? by Sarah Fabiny, Who HQ: 9780593519172". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "Who Is Langston Hughes? by Billy Merrell, Who HQ: 9780593658543". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Who Is Aaron Judge? by James Buckley, Jr. : 9780593750131". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "What Is the Story of Godzilla? by Sheila Keenan, Who HQ: 9780593658482". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "What Were the Shark Attacks of 1916? by Nico Medina, Who HQ: 9780593521588". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.