AllMovie

This edition of Biography, the long running documentary series from A&E, explores the life of candy manufacturer and philanthropist Milton Hershey. Because his father moved so frequently, Hershey attended seven schools in eight years, never progressing beyond grade four. He apprenticed to a Lancaster, Pa., confectioner and then opened his own candy store in Philadelphia. By 1886, he was back in Lancaster where he soon found success making caramels using fresh milk, but by 1900 had sold his caramel business to concentrate on chocolate. In 1903, he built a factory near his birthplace to manufacture five-cent chocolate bars; the business so prospered that "Hershey" became virtually synonymous with chocolate in the U.S.A., and he branched out to dominate the cocoa and syrup markets. In order to maintain the constantly expanding need for reliable workers, he began to build a complete town near the factory, including stores, schools, recreational facilities, and a large amusement park. The became Hershey, Pennsylvania.