They Did It First. 50 Scientists, Artists and Mathematicians Who Changed the World

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.

Julie Leung, illustrated by Caitlin Kuhwald

Introduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: Ada Lovelace Chapter - 2: Maria Mitchell Chapter - 3: Emily Warren Roebling Chapter - 4: Nikola Tesla Chapter - 5: Barnum Brown Chapter - 6: Nettie Stevens Chapter - 7: Robert H. Goddard Chapter - 8: Meret Oppenheim Chapter - 9: Mary Golda Ross Chapter - 10: Claude Shannon Chapter - 11: Maria Tallchief Chapter - 12: Alan Turing Chapter - 13: James E. M. West Chapter - 14: The Inventors: Featuring Isaac Newton, Charles Fritts, Hedy Lamarr, Temple Grandin, Ralph Baer, Lonnie G. Johnson and Timothy Berners-Lee Chapter - 15: Jane Goodall Chapter - 16: Mary Allen Wilkes Chapter - 17: Mary Kenneth Keller Chapter - 18: Walter Alvarez Chapter - 19: Alexa Canady Chapter - 20: Leading Ladies: Featuring Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Caroline Herschel, Elizabeth Blackwell, Ellen Swallow Richards, Marguerite Thomas Williams, Debbie Gibson, Antonia Novello, Ellen Ochoa, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Smith Chapter - 21: Thai Lee Chapter - 22: Aretha Franklin Chapter - 23: Slyvia Earle Chapter - 24: Mae Jemison Chapter - 25: Toni Morrison Chapter - 26: John Herrington Chapter - 27: Zaha Hadid Chapter - 28: Jennifer Yuh Nelson Chapter - 29: Mindy Kaling Chapter - 30: Marissa Mayer Chapter - 31: Maryam Mirzakhani Chapter - 32: Tu Youyou Chapter - 33: Ava Duvernay Chapter - 34: Riz Ahmed Chapter - 35: Johanna Lucht Section - ii: They Did It First - Across Time Section - iii: Illustrator's Note Section - iii: Further Exploration