America As It Happened

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Age Range
10+
Release Date
March 17, 2026
ISBN
978-1804661673
Buy This Book
     
A unique family reference guide to American history, featuring a timeline and newspaper-style articles that make you feel as though you are watching history happen! Bonus QR codes link to content from The Washington Post.
Experience the events that shaped the United States from earliest times to present day, as if it were all breaking news! Newspaper-style features bring history to life—from articles reporting events as they unfold to obituaries of key figures, recipes, inventions, and more. Live through the events that shaped America, including the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement, and the September 11 attacks.

Experience America’s fun and playful side, too, from the invention of bubble gum to the wonderous debut of Mickey Mouse. And learn about some unexpected and lesser-known sides of American history, like teen hero Sybil Ludington’s ride during the American Revolution and the Navajo Nation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A running timeline and special context boxes support readers’ understanding of how episodes in America’s past have influenced its present day and its future.

Developed in collaboration with The Washington Post and with QR codes linking to Post podcasts and archival resources, this book is a powerful and compelling commemoration of the 250th birthday of the United States. It is the perfect book to meet this moment in history and bring families together to see how history is unfolding as we watch.

Editor review

1 review
Thoroughly Thought-Provoking
(Updated: June 22, 2026)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Learning Value
 
5.0
“America As It Happened: A Moment-by-Moment Journey through Time, From Prehistory to the Present Day” by What on Earth!, in collaboration with The Washington Post, is an amazingly detailed account of life from the years before 1600, through the centuries (1600s, 1700s, 1800s, 1900s, and 2000s).

The book contains a wealth of articles from each time period, complete with a date for when the article could likely have been written, timelines, notes from the future about what happened after the time of the article, QR codes to articles that extend on the ones in the book, summaries, and so much more.

From articles about stalking giants sloths around 21,000 BCE in New Mexico to Roanoke Colony being abandoned in August 1590 in Virginia, to colonists demanding a voice in September 1865, Sitting Bull defeating Custer in July 1876, the Titanic sinking in April 1912, the end of the bus boycott in December 1956, Hurricane Katrina devastating New Orleans in August 2005, to the Land of Liberty turning 250 in 2026, there is something engaging for history lovers of all time periods.

The pictures that fill the pages of the book are colorful, relevant, and inspiring in terms of having the desire to learn more as a result of seeing them.

The back matter of the book includes an extensive glossary as well as a selected bibliography and quote sources, as well as an index to make searching more efficient. Lovers of history, current events, and general learning will find this book thoroughly thought-provoking.
Good Points
The book contains a wealth of articles from each time period, complete with a date for when the article could likely have been written, timelines, notes from the future about what happened after the time of the article, QR codes to articles that extend on the ones in the book, summaries, and so much more. Lovers of history, current events, and general learning will find this book thoroughly thought-provoking.
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