Milton Hershey: His First Shops Failed… Then He Built a Chocolate Town
Milton Hershey's first candy shop failed, and his next shop failed too. First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate, and after that he built a factory and a town. Learn five A1 words and how to use first … then … after that with the true story of Milton Hershey.
Coming 29 December 2026, 3:00 pm New York time
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
His first failed.
His next failed too.
This is the story of Milton Hershey.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. is food made with sugar.
At 14, he learned to make .
. food has lots of sugar.
People loved his .
. is brown food from cocoa beans.
He bought machines to make .
. A is where people make things.
He built a big .
. A has houses and streets.
He built a for his .
Now: first, then, after that.
First he made .
Then he made .
Ready? Let's begin.
Milton Hershey was born in America in 1857.
At 14, he learned to make .
First, he opened a . It failed.
Then he tried New York.
It failed too.
He did not stop.
People loved his .
In 1893, he bought machines to make .
First he made .
Then he made .
In 1900, he sold his company.
After that, he built a big .
He built a for his .
He started a school for boys with no parents, and he gave it his money.
He had a ticket for the Titanic, but he took another ship!
Let's review. At 14, he learned to make .
People loved his .
He bought machines to make .
He built a big .
He built a for his .
And remember: first he made .
Then he made .
Milton Hershey's story teaches us: never stop trying.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
candy noun
food made with sugar
“At 14, he learned to make candy.”
sweet adjective
with lots of sugar
“People loved his sweet caramels.”
chocolate noun
sweet brown food from cocoa beans
“He bought machines to make chocolate.”
factory noun
a building where people make things
“He built a big chocolate factory.”
town noun
a place with houses and streets
“He built a town for his workers.”
caramel noun
a soft brown candy made with sugar and milk
“First he made caramels.”
worker noun
a person who works for a company
“He built houses for his workers.”
shop noun
a place where you buy things
“His first candy shop failed.”
Grammar in the story
first … then … after that
We use it for: to put things in order
- First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.
- After that, he built a big chocolate factory.
From the story
- First he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.
- First I get up. Then I have breakfast. After that, I go to school.
Find it in the story 10 times
Your turn
he made caramels. Then he made chocolate.
First he made caramels. he made chocolate.
After , he built a factory.
Step 4
Story Challenge
7 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
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Take it further
Before you watch: Do you like chocolate? What is your favourite sweet food?
After you watch: Write about your morning with first, then and after that. For example: First I get up. Then I have breakfast. After that, I go to school.
Think about it: Milton Hershey failed two times, but he did not stop. Why is it important to try again?




































































