If you want to know exactly why Milton Hershey’s wife married him, look no further. (Because she wanted lots of Hershey’s Kisses!) This hilarious and original collection of jokes featuring all the subjects of the ever-popular Who Was? series will keep kids laughing right through history class!

Q: Why did Betsy Ross wear long dresses?
A: To cover her colo-knees!

Q: Which playwright is also a great cook?
A: Will-yum Shakespeare!

Q: Which president liked lasers?
A: Ronald Ray-gun!

As a child, Charles Dickens worked in a shoe polish factory where his gritty surroundings inspired some of the most memorable characters and settings in literary history. Known for his masterful storytelling in books like Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, and A Christmas Carol, Dickens toured the globe as one of the most famous people of his era. Widely considered the greatest writer of the Victorian age, Dickens’s literary masterpieces continue to amuse and inspire writers and readers alike.

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 in American films and, in the process, he became an iconic figure known throughout the world. Although he died at the young age of 32, Bruce Lee is widely considered to be the one of the most influential martial artists of all time.

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.

The story of how a young Southern girl who was raised on a pig farm became one of the most influential and inspiring people in the world.

We all know Oprah Winfrey as a talk-show host, actress, producer, media mogul, and philanthropist, but the “Queen of Talk” wasn’t always so fortunate. She suffered through a rough childhood and went on to use her personal struggles as motivation. Oprah’s kindness, resilience, and determination are just some of the many reasons why her viewers–and people all around the world–love her. The richest African American person of the twentieth century, Oprah is often described as the most influential woman in the world.

After breaking or tying more than sixty records in hockey, it’s no wonder that Wayne Gretzky is known as “The Great One.” Born in Brantford, Ontario, on January 26, 1961, in a nation obsessed with the sport, he threw himself into the game practically from the time he first laced up a pair of skates. When he retired from the NHL in 1999, he had led several teams to Stanley Cup victories, competed in the Olympics, and changed the way hockey was played forever. Known for his love for family and as a truly decent human being, Wayne Gretzky is revealed as more than a sports legend in this easy-to-read biography.

As a boy he preferred reading sea stories to doing homework and, at age 16, became an apprentice seaman. Subsequently, Ernest Shackleton’s incredible journeys to the South Pole in the early 1900s made him one of the most famous explorers of modern times. His courage in the face of dangerous conditions and unforeseeable tragedies reveal the great leader that he was. His historic 1914 journey aboard the Endurance has all the drama of an action movie.

Discover the wild history of Jane Goodall’s life and work in this Who HQ biography exploring one of history’s most influential scientists.

In this exceptional Who HQ biography that is accessible for young readers, the life and legacy of Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most influential scientists to date, comes alive. Born in London, England, in 1934, Jane loved animals from a very young age, and made it her goal to study them in their natural habitats. So, at age twenty-six, she set off to Africa to do just that! 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.

Complete with comprehensive, age-appropriate text and black-and-white illustrations throughout, this Who HQ biography of Jane Goodall is the perfect way for young readers to learn all about one of the most influential scientists of our time in an accessible and memorable way.

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 unveils a true portrait of the artist!

Put on your blue suede shoes and get ready for another addition to the Who Was…? series! The King could not have come from humbler origins: Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, during the Depression, he grew up with the blues music of the rural South, the gospel music of local churches, and the country-western classics. But he forged a sound all his own—and a look that was all his own, too. With curled lip, swiveling hips, and greased pompadour, Elvis changed popular music forever, ushering in the age of rock and roll. Geoff Edgers’s fascinating biography of this icon of American pop culture includes black and- white illustrations on nearly every spread.