Who was the first woman to swim the English Channel? Which country inventing hammer-toss as a sport? What was the first car to break the sound barrier? And did you know that the first video game was invented in 1958? Humans are always striving, and this book introduces readers 9 and up to some of our most astonishing physical abilities, geographical discoveries, engineering achievements, and scientific and technological breakthroughs. Each two-page spread contains stylish yet realistic illustrations, plus succinct texts, timelines, and capsule biographies of such figures as Edmund Hillary, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, and the Wright Brothers.