Martha Stewart was born on August 3, 1941. In 1967, she began a successful career as a stockbroker and in 1976 started a catering business. She wrote articles for the New York Times and in 1982, Martha Stewart published the first of many lavishly illustrated books such as Entertaining. Regular appearances on the Today show made her a household name.

She signed an advertising and consulting contract with Kmart for a reported $5 million. In 1993, Martha started a syndicated half-hour TV show called, like her magazine, Martha Stewart Living. But in 2004, a jury found Martha Stewart guilty of misleading federal investigators and obstructing an investigation in personal stock trading and she served 5 months in prison. Whatever she may yet accomplish, Martha Stewart has had more influence on how Americans, eat, entertain, and decorate their homes and gardens than any one person in our history.