Who Was Blackbeard?
Who Was?
By James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith / 58 minutes
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, Blackbeard was commanding his own fleet and stealing ships around the Caribbean and up and down the Eastern seaboard. Known for his thick, black beard and fearsome reputation, the legend of Blackbeard has influenced pirate legend and lore for over 300 years.
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Who Was Anne Frank?
By: Ann Abramson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 43 minutes
Abridged: No
In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her and her family into hiding. Who Was Anne Frank? looks closely at Anne’s life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. Read More »
Who Is Bruce Springsteen?
By: Stephanie Sabol
Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Length: 1 hour
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 Eleanor Roosevelt?
By: Gare Thompson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
For a long time, the main role of First Ladies was to act as hostesses of the White House...until Eleanor Roosevelt. Born in 1884, Eleanor was not satisfied to just be a glorified hostess for her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor had a voice, and she used it to speak up against poverty and racism. She had experience and... Read More »
Who Was John F. Kennedy?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation's youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in... Read More »
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 »
Who Was Abigail Adams?
By: True Kelley & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 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 »
Who is Stevie Wonder?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 56 minutes
Abridged: No
Discover more about Stevie Wonder, the music prodigy whose awards include 25 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful singer-songwriter-musicians of our time. Signing his first record deal when he was only eleven, he had his first No.1 hit when he was thirteen. Since then he has had thirty... Read More »
Who Was Isaac Newton?
By: Janet B. Pascal & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 9 minutes
Abridged: No
Isaac Newton was always a loner, preferring to spend his time contemplating the mysteries of the universe. When the plague broke out in London in 1665 he was forced to return home from college. It was during this period of so much death, that Newton gave life to some of the most important theories in modern science, including gravity and the... Read More »
Who Is Malala Yousafzai?
By: Dinah Brown & Who HQ
Length: 59 minutes
Abridged: No
Malala Yousafzai was a girl who loved to learn but was told that girls would no longer be allowed to go to school. She wrote a blog that called attention to what was happening in her beautiful corner of Pakistan and realized that words can bring about change. She has continued to speak out for the right of all children to have an education. In... Read More »
Who Was Frida Kahlo?
By: Sarah Fabiny
Narrated by: Marisol Ramirez
Length: 52 minutes
Abridged: No
You can always recognize a painting by Kahlo because she is in nearly all--with her black braided hair and colorful Mexican outfits. A brave woman who was an invalid most of her life, she transformed herself into a living work of art. As famous for her self-portraits and haunting imagery as she was for her marriage to another famous artist,... Read More »
Who Were the Beatles?
By: Geoff Edgers
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Almost everyone can sing along with the Beatles, but how many young readers know their whole story? Geoff Edgers, a Boston Globe reporter and hard-core Beatles fan, brings the Fab Four to life in this Who Was...? book. Readers will learn about their childhoods in Liverpool, their first forays into rock music, what Beatlemania was like, and why... Read More »
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 »
Who Was Annie Oakley?
By: Stephanie Spinner
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
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 »
Who Was Daniel Boone?
By: Sydelle Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 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 »
Soon
Who Was Harvey Milk?
By: Corinne A. Grinapol & Who HQ
Length:
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 Were the Tuskegee Airmen?
By: Sherri L. Smith & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
It's up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II.
During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military in the United States, where they weren't considered... Read More »
Soon
Who Is David Beckham?
By: Ellen Labrecque & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Whether you call it football or soccer, there's no disputing that David Beckham is one of the best players in the history of the game!
Whenever a young David Beckham was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he'd always answer with the same response: I want to be a footballer. This English native got his wish when he joined the Manchester... Read More »
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 »
Who Was Queen Victoria?
By: Jim Gigliotti
Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian Era, a period of industrial, cultural, scientific, and political change that was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire. But Victoria was raised under close supervision and near isolation until she became Queen of the United Kingdom at the young age of 18. She married... Read More »
Soon
Who Is Jackie Chan?
By: Jody Jensen Shaffer & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour
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 Helen Keller?
By: Gare Thompson
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
Abridged: No
At age two, Helen Keller became deaf and blind. She lived in a world of silence and darkness and she spent the rest of her life struggling to break through it. But with the help of teacher Annie Sullivan, Helen learned to read, write, and do many amazing things. This inspiring biography is perfect for young middle-grade listeners. Read More »
Who Was Rosa Parks?
By: Yona Zeldis McDonough
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
Length: 1 hour 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 »
Soon
Who Was Benedict Arnold?
By: James Buckley, Jr. & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Find out how this one-time American hero became the country's most notorious traitor.
As a young child, Benedict Arnold never shied away from a fight. So when the French and Indian War began in 1754, Benedict was eager to join the militia and fight for the British colonies in America. And when he was eighteen years old, he got his chance. Arnold... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Richard Nixon?
By: Megan Stine & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
Learn more about Richard Nixon--one of America's most unpopular presidents and the only one to resign from the position.
On August 8, 1974, millions sat stunned as they watched Richard Nixon on TV when he announced he was stepping down as the President of the United States. He'd participated in a scandal that included secret tape recordings, a... Read More »
Who Was Mister Rogers?
By: Diane Bailey & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Learn how Fred Rogers, a minister and musician from Pennsylvania, became one of America's most beloved television personalities and everyone's favorite neighbor.
Even though he's best known for his successful PBS series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Fred Rogers never dreamed of working in television. In fact, he hated the very first program that... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Celia Cruz?
By: Pam Pollack, Meg Belviso & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
How did a working-class girl from Cuba become a symbol of artistic freedom for Cuban Americans and the "Queen of Salsa"? Find out in this addition to the Who HQ library!
Although her family and friends know her as Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, the world refers to her simply as Celia Cruz. Starting her career in 1950, Celia grew... Read More »
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 Steve Jobs?
By: Pam Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
Length: 1 hour 2 minutes
Abridged: No
Steve Jobs, adopted in infancy by a family in San Francisco, packed a lot of life into fifty-six short years. In this Who Was…? biography, children will learn how his obsession with computers and technology at an early age led him to co-found and run Apple, in addition to turning Pixar into a ground-breaking animation studio. A college dropout,... Read More »
Soon
Who Was Ida B. Wells?
By: Sarah Fabiny & Who HQ
Length:
Abridged: No
The story of how a girl born into slavery became an early leader in the civil rights movement and the most famous black female journalist in nineteenth-century America.
Born into slavery in 1862, Ida Bell Wells was freed as a result of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. Yet she could see just how unjust the world she was living in was. This... Read More »
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 »
Who Was Ferdinand Magellan?
By: S. A. Kramer
Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
Length: 1 hour 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 »
Who Was Muhammad Ali?
By: James Buckley, Jr.
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 1 hour 1 minute
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 »
Who Was Frederick Douglass?
By: April Jones Prince
Narrated by: John H. Mayer
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
Born into slavery in Maryland in 1818, Frederick Douglass was determined to gain freedom--and once he realized that knowledge was power, he secretly learned to read and write to give himself an advantage. After escaping to the North in 1838, as a free man he gave powerful speeches about his experience as a slave. He was so impressive that he... 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 »
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 »
Who Was Dr. Seuss?
By: Janet Pascal
Narrated by: Danny Campbell
Length: 57 minutes
Abridged: No
Ted Geisel loved to doodle from the time he was a kid. He had an offbeat, fun-loving personality. He often threw dinner parties where guests wore outrageous hats! And he donned quirky hats when thinking up ideas for books-like his classic The Cat in the Hat. This biography brings an amazingly gifted author/illustrator to life. Read More »
Who Was Julius Caesar?
By: Nico Medina & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 Was Selena?
By: Max Bisantz, Kate Bisantz & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour
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 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 »
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
By: Bonnie Bader & Peter Jay Fernandez
Length: 1 hour 13 minutes
Abridged: No
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and... Read More »
Who Was Coretta Scott King?
By: Gail Herman & Who HQ
Length: 1 hour 4 minutes
Abridged: No
The wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King was a civil rights leader in her own right, playing a prominent role in the African American struggle for racial equality in the 1960s.
Here's a gripping portrait of a smart, remarkable woman. Growing up in Alabama, Coretta Scott King graduated valedictorian from her high school before... 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 »
Who Is J.K. Rowling?
By: Pamela D. Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 1 hour 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 Was Laura Ingalls Wilder?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Length: 58 minutes
Abridged: No
Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, based on her own childhood and later life, are still beloved classics almost a century after she began writing them. Now young readers will see just how similar Laura's true-life story was to her books. Born in 1867 in the "Big Woods" in Wisconsin, Laura experienced both the hardship and the adventure... Read More »
Who Was Alexander Hamilton?
By: Pam Pollack & Meg Belviso
Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
Length: 1 hour 10 minutes
Abridged: No
Read the story of the Founding Father who inspired the smash Broadway musical.
Born in the British West Indies and orphaned as a child, Alexander Hamilton made his way to the American Colonies and studied to become a lawyer. He joined a local militia during the American Revolution, rose to the rank of Major General, and became the chief aide to... Read More »
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