20th-century business geniuses who changed the world

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These entrepreneurs changed life as we know it


It’s incredible to think how much the world has changed since the start of the 20th century – we’ve gained major inventions from cars and planes to refrigerators and the internet, while many globally-influential companies have shaped the way we live. From the inventor of the Bic pen to the woman that brought us Barbie dolls, click or scroll through to see the 20th century’s most revolutionary entrepreneurs.



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Thomas Edison


Regarded as America’s most distinguished inventor, Thomas Edison pioneered the development of everything from the motion picture camera to the light bulb. The genius innovator, who amassed 1,0963 patents in his lifetime, is also credited with creating the first industrial research lab.



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George Eastman


When George Eastman founded Kodak in 1888, photography was a niche pastime for the rich. His company’s development of roll film brought photography to the masses and was instrumental in the invention of motion picture film.



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Madam C. J. Walker


Considered the “first Black woman millionaire in America”, Madam C. J. Walker created a line of haircare products for Black women after her own experiences with a scalp ailment that caused hair loss. Her line of products were part of the “Walker System” of haircare, which she sold directly to Black women and which quickly helped her gain a loyal following. The success of her business allowed her to accumulate significant wealth before her death in 1919.



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Henry Ford

The influence of Henry Ford is still felt far and wide. Ford invented the modern production line and brought the motor car into the mainstream with the affordable Model T.

Henry Ford was the richest man in the world in the 1940s, discover the richest person in every decade here



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Coco Chanel


French fashion designer Coco Chanel created a number of products and silhouettes for women’s clothing which have become iconic in their own right, including her Chanel No. 5 fragrance, the Chanel suit with a collarless jacket and fitted skirt, and the little black dress. Her designs were revolutionary for their time, influenced by elements of menswear and representing a step away from the tight-fitting, corseted designs that had been popular.



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David Sarnoff

Radio and TV pioneer David Sarnoff saw the potential in radio as a device that could be used to broadcast to the masses at a time when the technology was being used to communicate information from one individual to another. The prescient entrepreneur went on to develop America’s first national radio network, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).



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Olive Ann Beech

American businesswoman Olive Ann Beech was often referred to as the “first lady of aviation” for her impact on the male-dominated airline industry. She co-founded Beech Aircraft Corporation with her husband Walter Beech in 1932, and played a key role in the company’s growth during World War II. When her husband died in 1950, Olive became president and chairman of the company and over the next 18 years catapulted the company to success, launching several aircraft models, paving the way for the space age and allowing Beech Aircraft Corporation to become an industry leader. 



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Walt Disney


Walt Disney pioneered animated cartoons and was the creator of globally-loved characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and their friends. He went on to produce, write and direct movies and develop theme parks. He died a very wealthy man in 1966 aged 65. The Walt Disney Company is now one of the world’s largest media and entertainment businesses, valued at around $225 billion (£173bn) at the time of writing. It owns studios, retail outlets, hotels, theme parks and TV channels.



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Frederick McKinley Jones

The first African-American to be awarded the National Medal of Technology, Frederick McKinley Jones invented a method of mobile refrigeration, which consisted of a small compressor unit attached under delivery trucks to allow perishable foods to be transported over long distances. Prior to Jones’ invention in 1938, salt and ice were used, an unreliable method that often led to spoiling. Jones co-founded the Thermo King Corporation, which produced the mobile refrigeration unit. The business expanded globally, and when it was sold in 1997 it was achieving more than $1 billion in annual sales. 



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Ingvar Kamprad

Swede Ingvar Kamprad started IKEA aged 17 back in 1943. His pioneering idea to sell affordable furniture flat-packed for self-assembly is what turned the brand into a global chain with mass-market appeal. IKEA now has outlets in 40 countries, employs over 200,000 staff and in 2019 it had sales of $48.8 billion (£37.5bn). On his death in January 2018, Kamprad’s assets transferred to his sons.  

Read more about Kamprad’s incredible life



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Ray Kroc

Brothers Maurice and Richard McDonald launched the first McDonald’s restaurant in 1948. Appliance salesman Ray Kroc, however, turned the business into an international fast food chain by adopting factory-style preparation processes. He began a franchise programme for the brothers and eventually bought them out in 1961. When Kroc died in 1984 aged 81 his net worth was estimated to be around $500 million. McDonald’s now has over 38,000 restaurants worldwide in over 100 countries.



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Estée Lauder

The niece of a Hungarian chemist, Estée Lauder was taught about face creams at an early age. She founded her eponymous beauty company in 1946 with four products. Her first big order of $800 came from Saks Fifth Avenue. With a knack for knowing what women want, and innovative marketing, she went on to change the face of the cosmetics industry. Lauder died in 2004 aged 97. The Lauder family retain a controlling stake in the business and are worth around $17.9 billion (£12.7bn).



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Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver

Two names you’ve probably never heard of, Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, transformed the way we shop by inventing the barcode scanning system now used in just about every store in the world. They patented the idea in 1952 and are said to have sold it to electronics company Philco for $15,000. In today’s money this would represent more than $147,000 (£113k), but it is still a tiny sum in comparison to its influence. Silver died in 1963, while Woodland died in 2012. 



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Baron Marcel Bich

Baron Marcel Bich started his company in 1953 after he bought the patent rights to the ballpoint pen created by Hungarian Ladislas Biro. The cheap Societe Bic pens flew out of shops and quickly became an international hit. Bich then added disposable razors and lighters to his product line. Societe Bic went public and later added other companies to the group. A yacht-lover, Bich attempted many times to win the America’s Cup. He died in 1994 aged 79. His exact net worth was not made public, but he was a multi-millionaire.



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Colonel Tom Parker


You’ll have heard of musical legend Elvis Presley, but may not recognise the name Tom Parker. The Dutch-born American was the singer’s manager and his success with Presley changed the idea of talent management forever. Known as ‘The Colonel’, he was involved with every facet of the superstar’s life, personal and professional, which was seen as central to the success of his career, in the early days at least.



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Ole Kirk Kristiansen

Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen invented one of the world’s most loved, enduring and creative toys: LEGO. While The LEGO company was founded in 1932, the LEGO brick in its current plastic interlocking form was launched in 1958, the same year that Ole died. His son took over the business and the family still own a 75% stake in the firm, which has now expanded into stores, hotels and movies. It also has a 50% stake in theme park operator Merlin Entertainments. 

Read more about how LEGO conquered the world



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Dan and Frank Carney

Brothers Dan and Frank Carney opened the world’s first Pizza Hut in Wichita, Kansas in 1958 with a $600 loan from their mother. Run as a franchise business, it went international in 1970 and was soon to become the largest pizza restaurant chain in the world. The brothers sold their business to PepsiCo in 1977. It’s not known how much they made from the deal in cash or shares. After three years on the board at PepsiCo, Frank went on to become a franchisee at rival pizza chain Papa John’s, running more than 120 outlets.



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Ruth Handler

Ruth Handler is credited with creating the Barbie doll in 1959, which has gone on to become one of the most influential and successful toys of all time. After her husband Elliott Handler founded the Mattel company in 1945, along with business partner Harold Matson, Ruth quickly assumed a key role in the company, and one of its first big contracts was to produce the popular Mickey Mouse Club products. When it was invented in 1959, Barbie catapulted the company to success, selling 300,000 dolls in the first year it was released. In 2009, Forbes estimated that one billion Barbie dolls had been sold since they first came to the market. 



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Sam Walton

Sam Walton opened the first Walmart in 1962. His principle of selling more for less and investing in his staff is what he credited for turning Walmart into a national household name and one of the world’s largest retail groups. It now employs over 2.2 million staff worldwide and has more than 11,500 stores under different brands in 27 countries. Walton died in 1992 aged 74. The family are now estimated to be worth $196 billion (£150bn), which makes them the wealthiest family in America and the wealthiest non-royal family in the world. 

Here are 39 facts you didn’t know about Walmart



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Marie Van Brittan Brown and Albert Brown

Concerned by the high levels of property crime in her New York City neighbourhood, Marie Van Brittan Brown, who was working as a nurse at the time, pretty much created the multibillion-dollar home security industry in 1966 when she invented, along with her husband Albert Brown, the world’s first CCTV home security system. The couple were granted a patent in 1969 and went on to win numerous awards for the innovation.



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Bill Gates

Bill Gates founded technology company Microsoft with his school friend Paul Allen in 1975. Yet it was the launch of the Windows operating system in 1985 that was the turning point in Microsoft’s development. Microsoft Windows became a household name all over the globe and in 1987 a 31-year-old Gates became the world’s youngest billionaire. Now worth $118 billion (£90.4bn), Gates and his wife Melinda have committed to giving most of their wealth to philanthropic causes and have inspired others to do the same via their Giving Pledge. 



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Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega opened the first Zara boutique in Spain in 1975 with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera. He concentrated on creating a super-fast supply chain that enabled him to get catwalk-inspired clothes designed, made up and on to the shelves of his stores, initially within weeks and now within days. Other retailers have tried to copy his processes, but Zara remains ahead of the game. There are now over 2,250 Zara stores worldwide. Ortega has a net worth of about $67.6 billion (£52bn).



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Steve Jobs

In 1976 Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Inc with Steve Wozniak. The Macintosh computer was the company’s first hit. Jobs took a break from the business in the 1980s to launch innovative computer animation firm Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar was later bought by Disney for $7.4 billion in 2006. But Jobs had returned to Apple in the 1990s and launched the ground-breaking iPod, iPad, and iPhone. When Jobs died from cancer aged 56 in 2011 he was said to be worth around $10 billion (£7.1 billion).



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Dame Anita Roddick

Dame Anita Roddick launched The Body Shop in Brighton, England in 1976. Roddick pioneered the idea of selling ethical, naturally-inspired beauty products that were not tested on animals. There are now over 3,000 Body Shop stores in more than 70 countries and The Body Shop employs around 22,000 people. In 2006, Roddick sold The Body Shop to L’Oréal for a reported $915 million. She died in 2007 at the age of 64 due to a brain haemmorhage.



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George Lucas

There are not many people who haven’t heard of Star Wars. Creator George Lucas (left) has become one of the American film industry’s most financially successful filmmakers and is now considered a significant figure in the New Hollywood era. The first Star Wars film, released in 1977, went through a troubled production process, but became a huge surprise hit. 



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Miuccia Prada

Miuccia Prada and her siblings inherited the luxury leather goods brand that their grandfather started in 1977. Miuccia began designing more contemporary bags and clothing for the company and she turned the brand into an internationally-renowned luxury fashion empire. She then began buying up other companies including Jil Sander and a stake in Fendi. These have now been sold. The company currently has a valuation of $11 billion (£8.4bn), while Miuccia Prada, now aged 71, has a net worth of $3.4 billion (£2.6bn).



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John Mackey

Whole Foods has now become a household name thanks to founder John Mackey. One of the most influential advocates in the movement for organic food, the entrepreneur set up his first health food store in 1978, which later went on to become a worldwide business. Whole Foods was also the first grocery chain to set standards for the humane treatment of animals. Amazon bought the business for $13.4 billion (£10.3bn) in 2017. 



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Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey made her global name from her eponymous TV chat show and she leveraged this to launch her own production company Harpo Productions. She then launched her own book club and she co-founded Oxygen Media, dedicated to producing programming for women. She also launched the Oprah Magazine and then her own television network the Oprah Winfrey Network. In 2017 Discovery Communications took a majority stake in this. Winfrey is currently worth $2.6 billion (£2bn).

Read more about Oprah’s rags-to-riches story



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Ted Turner

Ted Turner founded the Cable News Network or CNN, the first rolling 24-hour news service, in 1980 and it went on to become one of the world’s first globally-distributed TV channels. Turner went on to launch more internationally-distributed channels including the Cartoon Network. He sold the business to Time Warner in 1996 and is now one of American’s largest individual landowners. He is said to have a net worth of around $2.2 billion (£1.7bn).

Now discover the 50 people who own most of America



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Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg started financial information business Bloomberg LP in 1981. His aim was to make it easier for financial traders to analyse financial data. Its systems began to be taken up by firms across the world and Bloomberg moved into media, launching Bloomberg TV. Bloomberg later got involved in politics, becoming Mayor of New York City and launching an unsuccessful presidential campaign earlier this year on which he reportedly spent $900 million (£689m). His current net worth is $54.9 billion (£42bn).

Discover the most expensive presidential campaigns of recent history



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Nicolas Hayek

Swiss-born Nicolas Hayek made his millions from his affordable watch brand Swatch, which he launched in the 1980s. He then went on to pioneer the Smart Car. His idea for an inexpensive car with interchangeable panels just large enough to fit two people was developed by Mercedes-Benz. It arrived on European roads in 1998. When Hayek died in 2010 aged 82, his net worth was estimated at $3.9 billion (£3bn) by Forbes.



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Sir James Dyson

The British inventor Sir James Dyson made his name and his fortune by revolutionising the design of the vacuum cleaner. His bagless vacuum cleaner, based on pioneering cyclone technology, was slow to attract the investment needed for mass production after he invented it in 1983, but once it did it became a global hit. Dyson has now diversified into hand dryers, air treatment, fans, heaters and lighting. He is now said to be worth around $6.5 billion (£4.9bn) and is one of the UK’s largest landowners.



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Howard Schultz

Howard Schultz didn’t found Starbucks, but after he took control of the coffee chain he became synonymous with the brand’s success and what it stands for. Schultz joined the company when it was just a single store in Seattle as director of retail operations and marketing. In 1987 he acquired the business and started to open more stores in North America, with the mission of recreating the coffee house culture of Italy. His approach took the chain global, and Starbucks now has over 30,000 stores worldwide. Today, Schultz is estimated to be worth $4.3 billion (£3.3bn). 

Here are 32 amazing things you didn’t know about Starbucks



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Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina


In 1992, students Marc Andreessen and Eric Bina began developing a web browser called Mosaic, which went on to change the face of online techology forever. After releasing their first version in February 1993, the browser gained popularity due to its strong support of multimedia and quick response to user bug reports. In 1994, the company joined forces with the former CEO of Silicon Graphics, James H Clark, to form the company Netscape.



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Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos founded online bookstore Amazon in 1994. It was a risk, as the business which was initially operating from Bezos’ garage, was up against big bookstores such as Barnes and Noble. But Bezos’ gamble and belief that people would want to buy books online soon paid off, and Amazon diversified. It now sells everything from TVs to groceries to TV content, while Bezos is now the richest man in the world with a net worth of $201.6 billion (£154bn).

Read the full story of Amazon’s incredible transformation



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Pierre Omidyar

Pierre Omidyar launched AuctionWeb, a site “dedicated to bringing together buyers and sellers in an honest and open marketplace”, in 1995. It was renamed eBay in 1997. The online world loved the concept and in 1998, just three years after launch, it went public. eBay is now in 180 countries and has swallowed up several other companies including PayPal, Gumtree and StubHub. Omidyar still had a seat on the board up until September, when he stepped down. He remains the company’s largest individual shareholder with a 4.7% stake, and is worth an estimated $18.7 billion (£14.3bn).



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Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon

Jimmy Choo and Tamara Mellon founded Jimmy Choo in 1996 when they opened their first luxury shoe shop in London. Two years later they opened two stores in America and became famous for making shoes as eye-catching as the other clothes the rich and famous were wearing. Jimmy Choo now has a global network of over 150 boutiques and is present in the world’s most prestigious department stores. Choo sold his stake in the company in 2001 for a reported $30 million. Mellon left the company in 2011 with a reported $135 million (£96.2 million) payoff. 



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Sergey Brin and Larry Page

Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page met at Stanford University. Together they created an algorithm that works out the number of links into a site and the number of links into those related sites to find the most popular sites. Launched in 1998, Google revolutionised the search engine experience. It has diversified into many areas including robotics, mapping and video. Page is said to be worth $67.6 billion (£51.9bn) and Brin is said to be worth around $65.8 billion (£51bn).



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Wim Ouboter


In 1998, realising that there was a need for a form of transport for journeys that were too far to walk, but not far enough to drive, Swiss-born Wim Ouboter created the first aluminium-folding scooter. After a rocky, start due to problems resulting from unforeseen copycat models, the Microscooter is now sold in eighty countries worldwide. Ouboter expanded the range for all ages and he’s now working on the Microlino mini car. His wealth is not public knowledge.



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Sara Blakely

In 1998, Sara Blakely was getting ready for a party when she realised that the shape of her underwear would be seen under her clothes, and so she cut the feet off some pantyhose to wear under her trousers and hide her underwear. That’s what gave her the idea to create seamless underwear that would solve similar wardrobe woes. Her brand Spanx is now sold in over 50 countries worldwide and Blakely is still at its helm. Her net worth reached $1 billion (£766m) in 2019, but is now said to have fallen to around $610 million (£467m) according to Forbes.

Now read about the stars who made more money after quitting the day job



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