Bette Nesmith Graham was born on March 23, 1924, in Dallas, Texas and passed away May 12, 1980, in Richardson, Texas. She was known for inventing Liquid Paper?a lifesaver for secretaries and typists worldwide. Graham spent years working in her kitchen perfecting her formula. Eventually she mixed up a few bottles and brought them to work. The product was so successful that her boss could not detect where the corrections had been made. As a result Graham’s coworkers requested their own bottles. Initially the product was named Mistake Out. As demand increased Graham moved the operation to a shed in her backyard and renamed the product Liquid Paper. She received a patent in 1958. Business thrived following a large order from General Electric and then she moved the operation into a 35,000 square foot building located in Dallas Texas. In 1976 the company’s net earnings had reached $1.5 million. Graham used some of her wealth to set up two foundations to assist women in need. As a side note Bette Nesmith Graham was the mother of Michael Nesmith, producer and guitarist of the famous singing group “The Monkees.” In 1979 Nesmith-Graham sold her company to Gillette Corporation for 47.5 million dollars. She died six months later.

Additional information about this ingenious woman can be found at the following websites:
http://www.women-inventors.com/Bette-Nesmith-Graham.asp
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/liqpaper.htm
http://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/bette-nesmith-graham