They Did It First

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.