Judy Garland
Judy Garland has been one of Hollywood’s biggest stars! And for good measure, not only was she an amazing actress, but she was also a terrific singer. That’s why she made history back in 1961, at the fourth Grammy Awards, when she was the first woman to win one of the “big four” categories! She won Album of the Year with her hit album “Judy at Carnegie Hall”.
Her daughter, Liza Minnelli, also set a historical first, nearly 30 years later. In 1990, she received a Grammy Legends Award, being the first woman to do so. Like mother, like daughter, it seems!
Madam C.J. Walker
You may not know, but Madam Walker is the first ever self-made female millionaire! She was the daughter of slaves and, as an African American woman, you can imagine that it was no easy feat to achieve something like this. However, she did it. After struggling with her own hair loss and scalp issues for years, she launched her own brand of hair care products for black women!
In 1905, she began selling what would become her most successful product: Madam C. J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower. Not only this, but she also opened a cosmetology school, Poro College, where she taught her methods and processes to others. Having had a humble start, she first worked as a sales agent for hair-care, before embarking on creating her own line.
She had her own sales agents that sold her products from door to door, and they earned their own fair share. They could end up making anything between $5 and $15 a day! This would be something between $127 and $384 if we make the conversion to today’s money. Not only was she a millionaire, but she also paid her workers well!
