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By: A Staff Writer
Date: Dec 29, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Jerry Yang & David Filo - Yahoo! Jerry Yang and David Filo were born in 1968 and 1966, respectively, in Taiwan. They were graduate students at Stanford University when they co-founded Yahoo!, one of the pioneering internet companies. Yang and Filo's accidental entrepre...
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Date: Dec 22, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Ralph Lauren - Ralph Lauren Corporation Ralph Lauren was born in 1939 in New York City, USA. He is a fashion designer and entrepreneur known for founding the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global fashion brand. Ralph Lauren's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1960s wh...
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Date: Dec 15, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Wallace Carothers - Nylon (Worked for DuPont) Wallace Carothers was born in 1896 in Iowa, USA. He was a chemist and inventor known for developing nylon, a synthetic polymer used in a wide range of products. Carothers' accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he ...
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Date: Dec 01, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: William S. Harley & Arthur Davidson - Harley-Davidson, Inc. William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson were born in 1880 and 1881, respectively, in Wisconsin, USA. They were childhood friends who shared a passion for motorcycles and engineering. Harley and Davidson's accident...
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Date: Nov 30, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Alexander Graham Bell - Bell Telephone Company (AT&T) Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847 in Scotland. He was an inventor and scientist best known for inventing the telephone. Bell's accidental entrepreneurship began in the late 19th century when he invented the tele...
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Date: Nov 24, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Dr. John Pemberton - Coca-Cola Dr. John Pemberton was born in 1831 in Georgia, USA. He was a pharmacist and inventor who created the original formula for Coca-Cola. Pemberton's accidental entrepreneurship began in the late 19th century when he developed a tonic made fro...
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Date: Nov 17, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Louis Chevrolet - Chevrolet Motor Car Company Louis Chevrolet was born in 1878 in Switzerland. He was a race car driver and automotive engineer who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Chevrolet's accidental entrepreneurship began in the early 20th century when he ...
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Date: Nov 08, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Arthur Fry - Post-it Notes Arthur Fry was born in 1931 in Minnesota, USA. He was a chemist and inventor known for co-inventing Post-it Notes, a ubiquitous office product. Fry's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1970s when he was seeking a solution to keep bookmark...
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Date: Nov 01, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Tadeusz Sendzimir - Sendzimir Process Tadeusz Sendzimir was born in 1894 in Poland. He was an engineer known for inventing the Sendzimir process, a technique used in steel manufacturing. Sendzimir's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he developed a new me...
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Date: Oct 30, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Herb Kelleher - Southwest Airlines Herb Kelleher was born in 1931 in New Jersey, USA. He was a lawyer and entrepreneur who co-founded Southwest Airlines, a low-cost airline. Kelleher's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1960s when he and his business partner Rollin K...
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Date: Oct 24, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Charles Revson - Revlon Charles Revson was born in 1906 in Massachusetts, USA. He was an entrepreneur and businessman who founded Revlon, a leading cosmetics company. Revson's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he started working in the cosmetics industry...
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Date: Oct 17, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Edwin Binney & C. Harold Smith - Crayola LLC Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith were entrepreneurs who founded Crayola LLC, a company known for producing crayons and other art supplies. Binney and Smith's accidental entrepreneurship began in the late 19th century when the...
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Date: Oct 16, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Christopher Cockerell - Hovercraft Christopher Cockerell was born in 1910 in England. He was an engineer and inventor known for developing the hovercraft. Cockerell's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1950s when he was experimenting with ways to reduce friction on water...
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Date: Oct 10, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Charles Darrow - Monopoly Charles Darrow was born in 1889 in Pennsylvania, USA. He was an unemployed salesman who became the accidental entrepreneur behind Monopoly. Darrow's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he was unemployed during the Great Depressi...
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Date: Oct 03, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Charles Flint - IBM Charles Flint was an American entrepreneur and financier who played a key role in the creation of IBM, originally known as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). Flint's accidental entrepreneurship began in the early 20th century when he recog...
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Date: Sep 23, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Pat Farrah, Kenneth Langone - The Home Depot Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Pat Farrah, and Kenneth Langone were entrepreneurs who co-founded The Home Depot, a home improvement retailer. The accidental entrepreneurship of Marcus, Blank, Farrah, ...
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Date: Sep 16, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Ole Kirk Christiansen - The Lego Group Ole Kirk Christiansen was born in 1891 in Denmark. He was a carpenter and toymaker who founded The Lego Group. Christiansen's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he started making wooden toys, including wooden ducks an...
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Date: Sep 09, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: William Boeing - Boeing Company William Boeing was born in 1881 in Michigan, USA. He was a timber merchant and aviation enthusiast who founded the Boeing Company. Boeing's accidental entrepreneurship began in the early 20th century when he became fascinated with aviation...
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Date: Sep 02, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Eiji Toyoda - Toyota Motor Corporation Eiji Toyoda was born in 1913 in Japan. He was a mechanical engineer and business leader known for his contributions to the automotive industry. Toyoda's accidental entrepreneurship began in the 1930s when he joined his cousin Kiichiro...
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Date: Aug 26, 2025
Accidental Entrepreneurs: Eduardo Saverin - Facebook Eduardo Saverin was born in 1982 in Brazil. He met Mark Zuckerberg while they were students at Harvard University. Saverin's accidental entrepreneurship began in 2004 when he partnered with Zuckerberg to launch a social networking website called "...
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