Her incredible success is all the more impressive considering her rough upbringing. The daughter of an unmarried teen who worked as a housemaid, Oprah grew up in extreme poverty. Her family was so poor that, as a child, Oprah was teased at school for wearing dresses made of potato sacks. She also was the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of family members, which she discussed with TV viewers during a special episode of her show. Walt Disney started off as a farm boy drawing cartoon pictures of his neighbor's horses for fun. When he was older, Walt tried to get a job as a newspaper cartoonist, but was unable to find one and ended up working in an art studio where he created ads for newspapers and magazines. Eventually he grew to work on commercials, became interested in animation, and eventually opened his own animation company. Disney's first original character creation was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but it was officially owned by Universal Pictures because he was working under contract at the time. When Walt walked out on Universal Pictures after getting a pay cut, he needed to create a replacement, which is how Mickey Mouse came into being. Rowling is a household name for fans of the beloved Harry Potter book series, but she wasn't always gifted with magic. The fact is, J. K Rowling was at her rope's end before her misfit gang of witches and wizards saved her. Before her bestseller cast a spell on readers, J. Rowling was living on welfare and struggling to get by as a single mother. Jobs dropped out of college because his family couldn't handle the financial burden of his education. He unofficially continued to audit classes, living off free meals from the local Hare Krishna temple and returning Coke bottles for change just to get by. Jobs credited the calligraphy class he stopped in on as his inspiration for the Mac's revolutionary typefaces and font design. Jobs went on to have an unbelievable career, eventually forming the Apple Computer Company with his childhood friend and electronics expert Steve Wozniak. Carnegie eventually worked his way up to becoming a superintendent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company before creating several of his own businesses, the most successful being the Carnegie Steel Mill. Despite being one of the richest Americans of all-time, he also serves as a class act example of generosity. His is widely considered one of the largest benefactors of libraries and educational institutions across the country. Thank you, Carnegie, for giving a second home to us nerdy kids who practically lived in our local libraries. One of the world's wealthiest individuals of all time, Rockefeller was born the son of a traveling salesman. He showed early entrepreneurial promise selling candy and doing odd jobs for neighbors, eventually going on to become the founder of the Standard Oil Company. There's no business quite like oil business, and it made Rockefeller filthy rich. Those predictions came true, as Anderson first tried and failed to become actor and singer. Seeing something special in Anderson, the director of the Royal Danish Theater took him under his wing and attended to his education. Anderson was teased terribly at school and harassed by students and a hateful headmaster, and he considered those some of the darkest days of his life. After leaving school, Anderson began to publish his writing. His fairy tales became immensely popular and eventually earned him the fame he was promised as a child. He never forgot his initial poverty-- The Little Match Girl was inspired by how his mother was forced to go begging in the streets as a young girl. Bill Gates is, like many other famous entrepreneurs, also known for his philanthropic activities, donating very large amounts of money to charitable organizations and scientific endeavors. Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, a private philanthropic foundation dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing health care, improving education opportunities, and providing access to technology worldwide.
