Who Was Rosa Parks?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 1 hours 8 minutes
Abridged: No
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This seemingly small act triggered civil rights protests across America and earned Rosa Parks the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." Read more »
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Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
By: June Eding
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 51 minutes
Abridged: No
Our bestselling series is fit for a queen!
The life of Queen Elizabeth I was dramatic and dangerous: cast out of her father's court at the age of three and imprisoned at nineteen, Elizabeth was crowned queen in 1558, when she was only twenty-five. A tough, intelligent woman who spoke five languages, Elizabeth ruled for over forty years and led... Read more »
Who Was George Washington?
By: Roberta Edwards & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 3 minutes
Abridged: No
In 1789, George Washington became the first president of the United States. He has been called the father of our country for leading America through its early years. Washington also served in two major wars during his lifetime: the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Washington's fascinating story comes to life--revealing the real... Read more »
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Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Austria in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his first piece of music, a minuet, when he was just five years old! Soon after, he was performing for kings and emperors. Although he died at the young age of thirty-five, Mozart left a legacy of more than 600 works. This fascinating biography charts the musician's extraordinary career... Read more »
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Who Was Jackie Robinson?
By: Gail Herman
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 1 hours 1 minutes
Abridged: No
As a kid, Jackie Robinson loved sports. And why not? He was a natural at football, basketball, and, of course, baseball. But beyond athletic skill, it was his strength of character that secured his place in sports history. In 1947 Jackie joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the long-time color barrier in major league baseball. It was tough... Read more »
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Who Was Marie Curie?
By: Megan Stine
Narrated by: Sarah Scott
Length: 1 hours 5 minutes
Abridged: No
Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together they... Read more »
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Who Is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours
Abridged: No
Discover how Neil deGrasse Tyson became one of the world’s most successful and well-known scientists in this new addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
When he was nine years old, Neil deGrasse Tyson went on a trip that would change his life. While visiting the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History in New York City,... Read more »
Who Was Leonardo da Vinci?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Leonardo da Vinci was a gifted painter, talented musician, and dedicated scientist and inventor, designing flying machines, submarines, and even helicopters. Yet he had a hard time finishing things, a problem anyone can relate to. Only thirteen paintings are known to be his; as for the illustrated encyclopedia he intended to create, all that... Read more »
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Who Was Selena?
By: Max Bisantz, Kate Bisantz & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours
Abridged: No
Discover why Selena, the Queen of Tejano music, became one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the twentieth century!
As a young girl, Selena Quintanilla sang in a band called Selena y Los Dinos with her brother and sister. The family performed at fairs, weddings, quinceañeras, and on street corners in their native Texas.... Read more »
Who Is Bruce Springsteen?
By: Stephanie Sabol
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 1 hours
Abridged: No
Not only was Bruce Springsteen "Born in the USA," he has risen to become a twenty-time Grammy winner and American icon.
Bruce Springsteen grew up in a blue-collar New Jersey town, where his parents struggled to make ends meet. Bruce didn't fit in at school but found solace in rock and roll and playing guitar. After the breakup of a local band... Read more »
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough & Who HQ
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone's property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of... Read more »
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Who Was Marco Polo?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
Marco Polo was seventeen when he set out for China . . . and forty-one when he came back! More than seven hundred years ago, Marco Polo traveled from the medieval city of Venice to the fabled kingdom of the great Kublai Khan, seeing new sights and riches that no Westerner had ever before witnessed. But did Marco Polo experience the things he... Read more »
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Who Are the Rolling Stones?
By: Dana Meachen Rau
Narrated by: Will Damron
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Follow the bad boys of rock and roll from their beginnings in London to their unparalleled success around the world.
Starting out over fifty years ago, the Rolling Stones took the music of the blues and blended it into rock and roll to create their own unique sound. Decades later, they are still hard at work, recording and playing live to massive... Read more »
Who Was Aretha Franklin?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Narrated by: Karen Chilton
Length: 1 hours 6 minutes
Abridged: No
There is only one QUEEN OF SOUL! Discover why Aretha Franklin garners so much R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Aretha Franklin was a musical and cultural icon whose legacy spanned six decades! Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, Aretha got her start singing in front of her father's Baptist congregation and found minor success as a gospel singer. She then set her... Read more »
Who Was Muhammad Ali?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 1 hours 1 minutes
Abridged: No
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. won the world heavyweight championship at the age of 22, the same year he joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He would go on to become the first and only three-time (in succession) World Heavyweight Champion. Nicknamed “The Greatest,” Ali was as well known for his unique boxing style,... Read more »
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Who Was Abigail Adams?
By: True Kelley & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 11 minutes
Abridged: No
Abigail Adams was a strong woman far ahead of her time. She urged her husband, President John Adams, to "remember the ladies" and despite having no formal education herself, she later advocated for equal education in public schools for both boys and girls. She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House! This biography tells the... Read more »
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Who Was Amelia Earhart?
By: Kate Boehm Jerome
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 49 minutes
Abridged: No
Amelia Earhart was a woman of many "firsts." In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1935, she also became the first woman to fly across the Pacific. From her early years to her mysterious 1937 disappearance while attempting a flight around the world, readers will find Amelia Earhart's life a fascinating story. Read more »
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Who Was Charles Darwin?
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 48 minutes
Abridged: No
As a young boy, Charles Darwin hated school and was often scolded for conducting “useless” experiments. Yet his passion for the natural world was so strong that he suffered through terrible seasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwin collected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America, and the Galapagos... Read more »
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Who Was Roberto Clemente?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Ron Butler
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Growing up the youngest of seven children in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente had a talent for baseball. His incredible skill soon got him drafted into the big leagues where he spent 18 seasons playing right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who Was Roberto Clemente? tells the story of this remarkable athlete: a twelve-time All-Star, World Series... Read more »
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Who Was Annie Oakley?
By: Stephanie Spinner
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hours 1 minutes
Abridged: No
You want girl power? Meet Annie Oakley! Born in 1860, she became one of the best-loved and most famous women of her generation. She amazed audiences all over the world with her sharpshooting, horse-riding, action-packed performances. In an age when most women stayed home, she traveled the world and forged a new image for American women. Read more »
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Who Was Ronald Reagan?
By: Joyce Milton
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 54 minutes
Abridged: No
From his childhood in rural Illinois to moviemaking days in Hollywood and on to a career in politics that took him all the way to the Oval Office, Ronald Reagan kept an abiding faith in America and in what our country stood for. The oldest president ever, he survived a near-fatal assassination attempt and lived to be 93. Who Was Ronald... Read more »
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Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 42 minutes
Abridged: No
The perfect biography to "bite into" at the start of a new school year! Children are sure to be fascinated by the eccentric and legendary Johnny Appleseed, a man who is best known for bringing apple trees to the midwest. Over John Chapman’s lifetime, he saw the country grow and start to spread westward. Traveling alone— in bare feet and sporting... Read more »
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Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
By: S. A. Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hours 3 minutes
Abridged: No
When Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Spain in 1519, he believed he could get to the Spice Islands by sailing west through or around the New World. He was right, but what he didn't know was that the treacherous voyage would take him three years and cost him his life. Read more »
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Who Was Harvey Milk?
By: Corinne A. Grinapol & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 8 minutes
Abridged: No
Learn about one of the most influential leaders in the fight for gay rights.
Although he started out as a teacher without aspirations to be an activist or politician, Harvey Milk found himself captivated by the history-making movements of the 1960s. He would eventually make history of his own by becoming the first openly gay elected politician... Read more »
Who Is Jackie Chan?
By: Jody Jensen Shaffer & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours
Abridged: No
How did Jackie Chan become one of the most recognizable and beloved actors in the world? Find out in this exciting biography of this martial artist turned international film superstar.
When Kong-sang was a young boy in Hong Kong, he enjoyed practicing martial arts with his dad but hated going to school. He was eventually enrolled in the China... Read more »
Who Was Harry Houdini?
By: Tui Sutherland
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hours 18 minutes
Abridged: No
Every kid has heard of Harry Houdini, the famous magician who could escape from handcuffs, jail cells, and locked trunks. But do they know that the ever-ambitious and adventurous Houdini was also a famous movie star and the first pilot to fly a plane in Australia? This well-told biography is full of the details of Houdini's life that kids will... Read more »
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Who Was Thomas Jefferson?
By: Dennis Brindell Fradin
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hours 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Did you know that John Adams had to coax Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence? It's true. The shy Virginia statesman refused at first, but then went on to author one of our nation's most important and inspiring documents. The third U.S. president, Jefferson was also an architect, inventor, musician, farmer, and-what is... Read more »
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Who Is Pele?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
The story of a poor boy from Brazil who became the greatest soccer player of all time and one of the most important athletes of the twentieth century!
His parents may have named him Edson Arantes do Nascimento, but to the rest of the world, he is known as Pelé. The now-retired professional soccer forward stunned Brazil when he began playing for... Read more »
Who Is Jane Goodall?
By: Roberta Edwards
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 1 hours 6 minutes
Abridged: No
A life in the wild!
Jane Goodall, born in London, England, always loved animals and wanted to study them in their natural habitats. So at age twenty-six, off she went to Africa! Goodall's up-close observations of chimpanzees changed what we know about them and paved the way for many female scientists who came after her. Now her story comes to... Read more »
Who Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth & Who HQ
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
You've probably seen her on T-shirts, mugs, and even tattoos. Now that famous face graces the cover of this Who Was? book.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was famous for her stylish collars (called jabots) and her commanding dissents. This opera-loving New Yorker always spoke her mind; as a young lawyer, RBG advocated for gender equality and women's... Read more »
Who Was Catherine the Great?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Learn how a Prussian princess grew up to be Russia's longest-ruling female leader!
Born in 1729, Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbs was never supposed to come to power. But at age sixteen, she married the heir to the Russian throne. By 1762, Sophie, known now as Catherine, overthrew her immature and incompetent husband, Peter III, to lead the... Read more »
Who Was Blackbeard?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Though much of his early life remains a mystery, Blackbeard most likely began his life as Edward Teach in the sailing port of Bristol, England. He began his career as a hired British sailor during Queen Anne's War. He eventually settled in the Bahamas under Captain Benjamin Hornigold who taught the young sailor to go "a-pirating." Soon enough,... Read more »
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Who Was Susan B. Anthony?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 5 minutes
Abridged: No
Susan B. Anthony may be an international icon but her campaign for women's rights had personal roots. Working as a school teacher in New York, Anthony refused to settle for less pay than her male colleagues which ignited her lifelong devotion to women's equality. Anthony toured the United States and Europe giving speeches and publishing articles... Read more »
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Who Was Julius Caesar?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 4 minutes
Abridged: No
He came. He saw. He conquered. Julius Caesar was a force to be reckoned with as a savvy politician, an impressive orator, and a brave soldier. Born in Rome in 100 BC, he quickly climbed the ladder of Roman politics, making allies--and enemies--along the way. His victories in battle awarded him the support of the people, but flush from power, he... Read more »
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Who Was Leif Erikson?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Hold on to your Viking helmets as you learn about the first known European to set foot on North America in this exciting addition to the Who Was? series!
Leif Erikson was born to be an explorer. His father, Erik the Red, had established the first European settlement in present-day Greenland, and although he didn't yet know it, Leif was destined... Read more »
Who Was Joan of Arc?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Joan of Arc was born in a small French village during the worst period of the Hundred Years' War. For generations, France had been besieged by the British. At age 11, Joan began to see religious visions telling her to join forces with the King of France. By the time she was a teenager, she was leading troops into battle in the name of her... Read more »
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Who Was Marie Antoinette?
By: Dana Meachen Rau & Who HQ
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
From the palaces of Austria to the mirrored halls of Versailles, Marie Antoinette led a charmed life. She was born into royalty in 1755 and married the future king of France at age 15. By 21 she ascended to the throne and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle of masquerade balls, sky-high wigs, and extravagant food. But her taste for excess ruffled many... Read more »
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Who Was Genghis Khan?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hours 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Named Temujin at birth by his nomadic family in early Mongolia, the great Genghis Khan used his skill and cunning to create the Mongol Empire and conquer almost the entire continent of Asia. As ruler of the largest empire in human history, he was as respected as he was feared. Learn more about the man and the legend in Who Was Genghis Khan? Read more »
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Who Was Jim Henson?
By: Joan Holub
Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
Length: 1 hours 3 minutes
Abridged: No
Jim Henson broke into television with a five-minute puppetry segment when he was only a freshman in college. He created puppets like none ever seen before, with expressive fabric faces and rod-controlled arms. His Muppets became world-renowned celebrities and formed the backbone of a media empire. With black-and-white illustrations throughout,... Read more »
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Who Was Pablo Picasso?
By: True Kelley
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 44 minutes
Abridged: No
Over a long, turbulent life, Picasso continually discovered new ways of seeing the world and translating it into art. A restless genius, he went through a blue period, a rose period, and a Cubist phase. He made collages, sculptures out of everyday objects, and beautiful ceramic plates. True Kelley's engaging biography is a wonderful introduction... Read more »
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Who Was Andy Warhol?
By: Kirsten Anderson
Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
Best known for his screen prints of soup cans and movie stars, this shy young boy from Pittsburgh shot to fame with his radical ideas of what “art” could be. Working in the aptly named “Factory,” Warhol’s paintings, movies, and eccentric lifestyle blurred the lines between pop culture and art, ushering in the Pop Art movement and, with it, a... Read more »
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Who Is J.K. Rowling?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 1 hours 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Everyone loves Harry Potter. Now kids can learn about Harry's creator!
In 1995, on a four-hour-delayed train from Manchester to London, J. K. Rowling conceived of the idea of a boy wizard named Harry Potter. Upon arriving in London, she began immediately writing the first book in the saga. Rowling's true-life, rags-to-riches story is as... Read more »
Who Is Jeff Kinney?
By: Patrick Kinney
Narrated by: Ramón de Ocampo
Length: 1 hours 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Even as a kid, everyone thought Jeff Kinney was talented. People loved his drawings, and when he went to college, his comic strip Igdoof was so popular that it spread to other universities! Still, Jeff faced challenges. His cartoons were rejected by syndicates that claimed his art was unprofessional. Then, an idea struck: Jeff would write a... Read more »
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Who Was Claude Monet?
By: Ann Waldron
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Claude Monet is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. He is a founder of the French Impressionist art movement, and today his paintings sell for millions of dollars. While Monet was alive, however, his work was often criticized and he struggled financially. With over one hundred black-and-white illustrations, this book... Read more »
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Who Was Maurice Sendak?
By: Janet Pascal
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 1 hours 1 minutes
Abridged: No
It seems entirely fitting that Maurice Sendak was born on the same day that Mickey Mouse first made his cartoon debut--June 10, 1928. Sendak was crazy about cartoons and comic books, and at twelve, after seeing Disney's Fantasia, he decided that he was going to become an illustrator. His love of childrens books began early: often sick and... Read more »
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Who Was Lucille Ball?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Tara Sands
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Who doesn't love Lucy? The legendary actress, producer, and comedian steps into the Who Was? spotlight.
Much like her hit TV show, I Love Lucy, Americans in the 1950s fell in love with Lucy. Born in New York in 1911, Lucille Ball was always a natural performer. She danced in the chorus of Broadway shows and acted in small parts in Hollywood... Read more »
Who Was Bruce Lee?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, filmmaker, and philosopher. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim. Through such films as Way of the Dragon and Enter the Dragon, Lee helped to change the way Asians were presented... Read more »
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Who Was Alfred Hitchcock?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
Known as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock’s unique vision in movies like Psycho and The Birds sent shivers down our spines and shockwaves through the film industry. His innovative camera techniques have been studied for decades and his gift for storytelling cemented his place in history. Many directors make... Read more »
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Who Was Daniel Boone?
By: Sydelle Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hours 15 minutes
Abridged: No
Called the "Great Pathfinder", Daniel Boone is most famous for opening up the West to settlers through Kentucky. A symbol of America's pioneering spirit Boone was a skilled outdoorsman and an avid reader although he never attended school. Sydelle Kramer skillfully recounts Boone's many adventures such as the day he rescued his own daughter from... Read more »
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Who Was Jesse Owens?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Charles Constant
Length: 55 minutes
Abridged: No
At the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, track and field star Jesse Owens ran himself straight into international glory by winning four gold medals. But the life of Jesse Owens is much more than a sports story. Born in rural Alabama under the oppressive Jim Crow laws, Owens's family suffered many hardships. As a boy he worked several jobs like... Read more »
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