EASY READ A to Z of famous people

EASY READ Who was Mary Anning?

Mary Anning (1799–1847) was an English fossil-hunter. She was once described as "the greatest fossilist the world ever knew". Her discoveries, chiefly of marine reptiles and...

EASY READ Who was Boudicca?

Boudicca (her name is also spelled Boudica or Boadicea) was queen of the Celtic Iceni people. In around AD 60 she led a fierce and brutal rebellion against the Romans to claim back...

EASY READ Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–1859) was an English engineer. He is famous for building tunnels, bridges and steamships, including the Great Britain, the world's first...

EASY READ Who was Christopher Columbus?

In 1492 Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean. He was hoping to find a sea route to East Asia, the lands of spices and silks. These lands were...

EASY READ Who was Marie Curie?

Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a scientist at a time when it was unusual for a woman to be a scientist at all. She is remembered today for her work with her husband Pierre Curie on...

EASY READ Who was Emily Davison?

Emily Davison (1872–1913) was an English suffragette. This was the name for a member of an organization which campaigned for women to have the right to vote. The organization...

EASY READ Who was Thomas Edison?

Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931) was an American inventor. Some of his inventions were improvements on those that already existed. He turned them into versions that could be widely...

EASY READ Who was Galileo Galilei?

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) was an Italian scientist. He made important advances in the understanding of gravity and motion. He was also an astronomer. Using a recent invention...

EASY READ Who was Mahatma Gandhi?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) was a leader of the protest movement against British rule in India. He stood for non-violent protest. Today he is considered the "father...

EASY READ Who was Hatshepsut?

Queen Hatshepsut (ruled c.1478–1458 BC) was a pharaoh (ruler) of ancient Egypt. She was one of the very few female pharaohs. Her name, Hatshepsut, means "Foremost of Noble...

EASY READ Who was Joan of Arc?

Saint Joan of Arc (1412–31), the Maid of Orléans, is a national heroine in France. She was a peasant girl who inspired the French army to win a great victory against the English...

EASY READ Who was Abraham Lincoln?

Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) was the 16th president of the United States of America, and one of its greatest leaders. He is famous for guiding the nation through one of the most...

EASY READ Who was Nelson Mandela?

From the 1940s until 1994, Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a leader in the struggle against apartheid (segregation, the keeping people of different races apart) in South Africa...

EASY READ Who was Florence Nightingale?

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) was an English nurse. She greatly improved the quality of medical care for British soldiers during the Crimean War (1853–56). Her work led to...

EASY READ Who was Robert Falcon Scott?

On 17th January 1912, members of the British Antarctic Expedition, led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, reached the South Pole. Hoping to be the first people to get there, Scott and...

EASY READ Who was Walter Tull?

English professional footballer Walter Tull (1888–1918) was the grandson of a slave in Barbados. During World War I, he became the first British-born person of colour to serve as...

EASY READ Who is Malala Yousafzai?

Malala Yousafzai (born 1997) is a young Pakistani woman who, from an early age, spoke out against the Taliban. This organization tried to stop girls being educated in her homeland...