diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 4514274..5e510de 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+* Ensure Element.hide and Element.show return an element, even if you pass an element ID. (Andrew Dupont)
+
 * Fix an issue where Element#getStyle('height') returns null if the height is set to "auto." (kangax, jddalton)
 
 * Add unit tests for Element#descendantOf. (jddalton)
diff --git a/src/dom.js b/src/dom.js
index df0162b..f52bc71 100644
--- a/src/dom.js
+++ b/src/dom.js
@@ -74,12 +74,14 @@ Element.Methods = {
   },
 
   hide: function(element) {
-    $(element).style.display = 'none';
+    element = $(element);
+    element.style.display = 'none';
     return element;
   },
   
   show: function(element) {
-    $(element).style.display = '';
+    element = $(element);
+    element.style.display = '';
     return element;
   },