Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, the name says it all! Winfrey was originally named Orpah after the famous Biblical character in the Book of Ruth. Winfrey was born to unmarried teenage parents. She had confessed later on that her conception was due to a single sexual encounter and the couple broke up not long after!

After Winfrey was born, her mother traveled north and Winfrey spent her first six years living in rural poverty with her grandmother who was so poor that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks. Local children made fun of her because of this very reason. Her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three. When Winfrey was a child, her grandmother used to take a switch and hit her with it whenever she didn't do her chores or if she misbehaved in any manner whatsoever. At the age of 6, Oprah went to stay with her mother who was less supportive and encouraging than her grandmother had been due in large part to the long hours of working as a maid.

Winfrey had a traumatic childhood besides being brought up in dire poverty. Winfrey has stated that she was molested by her cousin, her uncle, and a family friend, starting when she was nine years old. At 13, after suffering years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home and gave birth to a baby boy when she was just 14 years old. Her son died shortly thereafter and Winfrey was sent away to Nashville where she became an Honors student, besides being voted the Most Popular Girl.

Winfrey went on to become an American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is best known for her self-titled award-winning talk show, which became the highest-rated program of its kind in history. Oprah Winfrey has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the greatest black philanthropist in American history,and was once the world's only black billionaire. A woman who faced so many struggles in life yet didn’t give up, Oprah has often been called the most influential woman in the world.