Who's Who: Famous Entrepreneurs Quiz

Answer: Walt Disney

Walter Disney was born in Chicago in 1901. His family moved around a lot when he was young, but one thing young Disney always loved to do was draw. He took classes at the Kansas City Art Institute and, when the family moved back to Chicago, at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.

He became interested in animation and opened a company that made animated cartoons called Laugh-O-Gram, which eventually went bankrupt. After a couple of more tries and a risky move to California - the animation industry was mostly centered in New York City at the time - to be close to his ailing brother, Disney found success in his 1928 animation "Steam Boat Willie", which, of course, was the debut of Mickey Mouse. By 1932 he was making animated films ("Snow White"), and his first theme park, Disneyland, opened in 1955.

The Walt Disney Company continues to be in business today, still entertaining us with movies and theme parks.

Answer: Andrew Carnegie

Born in Scotland to a poor family, Andrew Carnegie immigrated to the United States during the time of the Great Potato Famine and settled in Pennsylvania. Although he started out as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill, he continuously found opportunities to upgrade to a better job. Eventually he used the money he was able to save to invest in the railroad; during the American Civil War, however, he began to invest in ironworks companies. Over time, as the Bessemer process became popular for making steel, he made a fortune in the steel industry.

His company, Carnegie Steel Company, was sold in 1901, and is known as the U.S. Steel Corporation today.

Answer: Madame C. J. Walker

Born in 1867, Sarah Breedlove was the first among her siblings to be born a free person. Orphaned by the age of seven, she lived with an older sister and brother-in-law until she was fourteen, when she married her first of three husbands. In 1888 Walker moved to St. Louis, where three of her brothers were barbers.

It was there that she became interested in hair care and began working for Annie Malone, another early entrepreneur specializing in African-American hair care products. Walker continued to work for Malone while developing her own products.

It was after her marriage to Charles Walker that she became known as Madame C.J. Walker; together they worked to sell products door to door and through the mail. She is credited by the "Guinness Book of World Records" with becoming the first female self-made millionaire in the United States.

Her company, known as The Walker Company, closed in 1981.

Answer: Sam Walton

Born in 1918, Sam Walton grew up during the Great Depression, working a variety of odd jobs, eventually attending college at the University of Missouri, and graduating with a degree in economics. While working at his first job for the J.C. Penney company, Walton learned about practices and principles that he would like to implement into his own business one day.

After returning from WWII military service, he opened his own first retail store in Arkansas, which was not successful; he did learn, however, from that experience and opened another retail store - in the Ben Franklin franchise - soon after.

The first Walmart opened in 1962, and today there are over 11,000 Walmarts in existence all over the world.

Answer: Henry Ford

Born in 1863 into a family of farmers, Ford gained a reputation for fixing watches as a teenager. Uninterested in farm work, he left home after his mother died, and took a job as an apprentice machinist. Always interesting in steam engines and the like, he built his first car in 1892 in his workshop at home.

After some failed attempts at opening a new business, the Ford Motor Company was formed in 1903. Henry Ford is known for the use of the assembly line, which made automobile productions faster and cheaper.

His production method made it possible for middle class families to own his Model T! Henry's descendants still help run the Ford Motor Company today.

Answer: Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison, born in 1847, became deaf in one ear at the age of twelve. At an early age he developed an interest in technology, and by the time he was thirteen, the profits from his business selling items to people riding on the train went to buy materials needed for his experiments.

A chance incident left him with an opportunity to become a telegraph operator, a job which allowed him the time needed to tinker in his workshop. Altogether he was given 1093 patents for inventions such as the electric vote recorder, phonograph, motion pictures, and a better light bulb.

He formed many companies throughout his career, but General Electric is the best known and still in existence today.

Answer: Milton Hershey

Born in Pennsylvania in 1857, Milton Hershey was first apprenticed to a printer. He didn't really like the job very much, so his mother apprenticed him to a candymaker - and that's where it all began! When Hershey was 19 years old, he borrowed money from a member of his family and established his own business which sold a variety of candies.

After two failed attempts, however, he decided to concentrate on just making caramels. He eventually sold that business for $1 million and moved on to making chocolate - but just one product at first - a chocolate bar.

He not only built a factory, but also a town, where his chocolate is still manufactured in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Who doesn't love eating Hershey's Kisses?!

Answer: John D. Rockefeller

Born in 1839, Rockefeller had an interesting home life growing up - his dad, frequently away from home, made a living engaging in shady businesses, while his mother, frugal and hardworking, took care of the family. When he graduated from high school, Rockefeller was told to get a job to help with family expenses.

He became a bookkeeper, and eventually went into business with a friend, providing provisions for soldiers during the Civil War. By 1863, however, he saw the need to go into a new business and chose oil refining. Standard Oil was formed in 1870 and within a few years controlled the refining of about 90% of the oil in the U.S.

In 1916 Rockefeller became the world's first billionaire.

Answer: CoCo Chanel

Born in 1883, Gabrielle "CoCo" Chanel was born into a poor family. Her father made a living traveling from town to town selling clothing. Her mother died when she was eleven and she and her two sisters were taken to an orphanage, where she learned how to sew.

Her first enterprise was as a milliner designing hats, and this led to the eventual opening of a boutique-style store that sold ladies hats, accessories, and, eventually, clothing and perfume. Still one of the most famous perfumes in the world today, her Chanel No. 5 was first sold in 1921.

At the launch of the perfume, Chanel took a big chance by spraying her guests with the fragrance. It was an immediate success!

Answer: Levi Strauss

Born in 1829 in Germany, Strauss immigrated to the United States with his family in 1847. He learned how to run a business while working for his brother in New York City, but was drawn to California after hearing about the gold rush there - not to mine gold, but to open a dry goods business.

He was a successful businessman in San Francisco when he was approached by a tailor named Jacob Davis who was making trousers with rivets and supplying them to gold miners. Davis needed financial assistance to make more of them to keep up with demand. Strauss patented the riveting process and used denim instead of canvas. Levi's blue jeans were born!