She attracted significant clients such as General Electric and IBM and continued to expand her business rapidly. He changed his name to avoid confusion with the Monkees star, and picked Bowie based on frontiersman Jim Bowie and his eponymous knife. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. Graham was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up nearby in San Antonio, Texas ("Bette Nesmith Graham: Liquid Paper Inventor," n.d.).
var form = $(this); Her son Michael who would later achieve fame as a member of the pop group The Monkees and his friends helped to fill the growing number of orders for Mistake Out. I write about the power of negotiation and adaptive leadership. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. Every evening she returned home from work to tinker with the formula, write letters to potential buyers and send samples. Clarity doesn't use ANID and so this is always set to 0. if (form.find('.email-form-submit-message').length < 1) { The new machines did make typing easier, but their carbon-film ribbons made it impossible to correct mistakes neatly with a pencil eraser. She moved forward anyway, poring over books in the public library to study formulas for tempera paint, and working with a chemistry teacher to improve the consistency of her product. She became a full-time small business owner, applied for a patent, and changed the name to the Liquid Paper Company. It is passed to HubSpot on form submission and used when deduplicating contacts. She was left alone to take care of her only son, Michael singlehandedly. Her invention continues to be used everyday by secretaries and other people in the office and wherever typewriters are used. Sales grew in tandem with exposure. It was here that she went to work as a secretary in Texas. She built it out of nothing. function initForm() { It is used for tracking and personalization purposes, such as remembering a user's preferences and activity on the site. She also liked spending some time with her son. This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website. Eventually, So, in 1979, the inventor of Liquid Paper sold the company to Gillette for $47.5 million, plus a deal for royalties. Identifies unique web browsers visiting Microsoft sites. Over the next twenty five years, Bette and others grew the small start-up through traditional sales to distributors and promotion within the office product industry. utmName, This cookie keeps track of sessions. Bette also established an onsite child care center for working parents, meant to help LPC employees but open to any working parent who wanted to enroll their child. On 23rd, March 1924 Bette Nesmith Graham was first seen in the world in Dallas, Texas. Graham's net worth was estimated to be approximately $50 million when she died. But for decades, being part of a secretarial pool was an important employment option for millions of women. } Archival materials are from the University of North Texas Special Collection, with special thanks to Morgan Davis Gieringer and her staff. This cookie is set by Hotjar. Grahams product began to catch on. 24 Feb 2023 15:06:23 The musical television series, which would premiere later that year, offered cutting-edge comedy and brilliant pop music. ) { Graham wasnt a chemist or an engineer. She had mixed it in her kitchen blender and poured it into nail polish containers, then hid it in her desk, furtively applying it only when needed to avoid the scrutiny of a disapproving boss. When Nesmith went off to fight in World War II, Bette was pregnant with a boy. She didnt know it then, but she was on the brink of something magical. As much as she wanted to help her kindred secretaries, Nesmith also noted that she, as a single mother and creative person, was equally motivated to find ways to empower working women. She married Warren Nesmith in 1941. } Despite her best efforts to keep the concoction a secret, word soon got out and fellow secretaries wanted in on the action. It's also employed as a functional fluid in arts and crafts from blacksmithing to jewelry tomodeling kits. Tired of having to retype entire pages because of one small error, Graham determined to find a more efficient alternative. Facts About Bette Nesmith Graham. She was a difficult student in school as her stubborn personality led her to clash often with her teachers. Hey, hey!