1909 Elizabeth Arden
Making Over America
She brought makeup from the stage to everyday life and slowly developed a global
empire. Elizabeth Arden, born Florence Nightingale Graham in Woodbridge,
Ontario, moved to New York at the age of 30 to pursue her dream of building a
cosmetics corporation. There she began working with a chemist to create a beauty
cream, something new for the cosmetics industry at that time. After traveling to
Paris in 1912, Arden became the first person to introduce the concept of eye
makeup to American women and offered the first makeovers in her 5th Avenue
salon. Arden died in 1966, but her brand became as well-known across the U.S. as
Singer sewing machines and Coca-Cola. At the end of its fiscal year in June
2007, the company reported $1.1 billion in net sales, up more than 18 percent
from $955 million in 2006.
1910 Coco Chanel
Revolutionizing Fashion One Accessory at a Time
"May my legend prosper and thrive. I wish it a long and happy life." Coco
Chanel's legend certainly has lived on since she died in 1971. At the time of
her death, Chanel's fashion empire brought in more than $160 million a year. The
fashionista, born in Saumur, France, opened her first shop in 1910 selling only
women's hats. In 1921, the company introduced Chanel No. 5, the first perfume to
be sold worldwide. From there, the name Chanel became known across the world.
Today, Chanel creations continue to attract a wealthy, celebrity-filled consumer
base. Chanel will forever be associated with her little back dress, her timeless
suits, shoes, purses and jewelry. As Christian Dior said, "With a black pullover
and 10 rows of pearls, she revolutionized fashion."
1932 Olive Ann Beech
Skyrocketing to Success
Olive Ann Beech co-founded Beech Aircraft Corp. in Wichita, Kansas, alongside
her husband, Walter, at the height of the Depression in 1932. Together the
Beeches grew the business from 10 employees to 10,000. Two hundred seventy of
their Beech Model 17 Staggerwings were manufactured for the U.S. Army during
World War II. But after Walter died suddenly from a heart attack in 1950, Olive
Ann became president and CEO of the company. During her nearly 20 years in
charge, she transformed the company into a multimillion-dollar aerospace
corporation. Olive Ann retired in 1968 but continued to serve on the board of
directors until 1982, just two years after Raytheon Corp. purchased Beech
Aircraft. Beech became the company's first chairman emeritus before dying at
home in Wichita in 1993. Beech Aircraft Corp. had a lasting impact on general
aviation, producing some of the most popular aircraft of the 20th century.
1933 Ma Perkins
Mother of the Airwaves
She's a radio legend who captured the hearts of Americans with her kindness and
down-to-earth point of view. Actress Virginia Payne brought the character "Ma
Perkins," also known as "America's mother of the air," to life in more than
7,000 episodes of her radio soap opera. Born in Cincinnati, Payne made her radio
debut at the age of 23 when the show premiered on a Cincinnati radio station in
1933. The character of Ma Perkins was a self-sufficient widow who owned and
managed a lumber yard and offered her homespun advice to all those who sought
help. The show ran on NBC and CBS until 1960, and Payne played the title role
over the show's entire span. Payne died in 1977, 11 years before she and her
alter ego, Ma Perkins, were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.