Bette Nesmith Graham

Bette Nesmith Graham was a truly original thinker, albeit one whose greatest innovation was designed specifically to cover up previous mistakes. A single mother and executive secretary, she noticed that artists painted over errors, rather than erasing them, and conceived of a similar solution for typists. Thus, Liquid Paper was born, saving countless documents from the trash bin and creating a multi-million dollar industry built on correction fluid.

Despite her humble beginnings, Graham built an empire, selling her invention out of her kitchen before eventually selling the Liquid Paper Corporation to Gillette for $47.5 million. Not bad for a product once derided by her bosses. She was also a noted philanthropist, using her wealth to support women in business and the arts, proving that covering up errors can, in fact, lead to a very clean financial sheet.

While her contribution to office supplies is undeniable, and her business acumen worthy of a "kvell," her background was decidedly not Jewish. Born Bette Clair McMurray, she was raised in Dallas, Texas, by her parents, Christine Duval and Jesse McMurray, both of whom traced their lineage back through generations of American Protestants. So, despite a last name that could fool some, her "Jew Score" remains delightfully unsmudged.