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Who invented the correction fluid?
Bette Nesmith GrahamIn 1956, Bette Nesmith Graham (mother of future The Monkees guitarist Michael Nesmith) invented the first correction fluid in her kitchen. Working as a typist, she used to make many mistakes and always strove for a way to correct them.
How was whiteout invented?
Wite-Out dates to 1966, when Edwin Johan, an insurance-company clerk, sought to address a problem he observed in correction fluid available at the time: a tendency to smudge ink on photostatic copies when it was applied.
Is Liquid Paper still made?
Even paper is disappearing from the modern office, as more and more functions are digitized. But correction fluids are not only surviving—they appear to be thriving, with Wite-Out sales climbing nearly 10 percent in 2017, according to the most recent public numbers.
What is inside Whiteout?
Wite-out, is just one popular brand name for correction fluid, is a white liquid applied to paper to cover errors. Most brands of correction fluid are composed of a mixture of water, titanium dioxide, latex, soap, resins and preservatives, however, some do contain other chemicals.
Can whiteout be removed?
Apply a commercial adhesive remover (such as Motsenbocker's Lift Off) directly to the white-out and let it sit for about one minute or as directed by the manufacturer. Alternatively, you can use WD-40, rubbing alcohol, or nail polish remover (with acetone), as long as it won't damage or stain the surface.
What happens when you inhale white-out?
Use of correction fluid as an inhalant can cause the heart to beat rapidly and irregularly, which can cause death. An unpleasant smell is added to some brands in order to deter abusers.
How do you revive Liquid Paper?
Add a little water. Add water or correction fluid thinner to the bottle it dries up. Put on the cap and shake it.
Why is Liquid Paper called liquid?
Originally created in the 1950's, Liquid Paper® is the brand name for a typing correction fluid used extensively when typewriters were the most efficient means of creating professional text documents.
Who invented the original white Out?
Bette Nesmith left her typing job at the bank in 1958 when Mistake Out finally began to succeed: her product was featured in office supply magazines, she had a meeting with IBM, and General Electric placed an order for 500 bottles.
Who discovered whiteout?
Bette Nesmith GrahamNesmith's mom invented whiteout. Nesmith was raised in Dallas by his mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, who invented the first correction fluid in 1956 while working as a typist. She turned her whiteout, Liquid Paper, into an office staple, selling the company to Gillette in 1979 for $47.5 million plus royalties.
Who created liquid white out?
Bette Nesmith GrahamBette Nesmith Graham (March 23, 1924 – May 12, 1980) was an American typist, commercial artist, and the inventor of the correction fluid Liquid Paper. She was the mother of musician and producer Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.
Who invented white Out for paper?
Bette Nesmith Graham invented one of the most popular office supplies of the 20th century.
What did Bette Nesmith Graham do?
Her two foundations supported several ways to help women find new ways to earn a living, especially unwed mothers. That included giving shelter and counseling for battered women and college scholarships for mature women. Graham died on May 12, 1980, six months after selling her company.
Why was Bette Nesmith fired?
Although some stories say she was fired from the bank for signing her name with the "Mistake Out Company, " her own Gihon Foundation biography reports she simply started working part-time then left as the company succeeded. She became a full-time small business owner, applied for a patent, and changed the name to the Liquid Paper Company.
What paint did Bette Nesmith use?
Bette Nesmith put some tempera water-based paint, colored to match the stationery she used, into a bottle and took her watercolor brush to the office. She used this to surreptitiously correct her typing mistakes, which her boss never noticed.
What did Bette Graham do in 1951?
She found employment in 1951 as an executive secretary for the Texas Bank & Trust in Dallas. A technological advancement in typewriters from fabric to carbon ribbons and a more sensitive keypad made errors more common and more difficult to correct: erasers that had worked before now smeared the carbon across the paper. Graham sought a better way to correct typing errors, and she remembered that artists painted over their mistakes on canvas, so why couldn't typists simply paint over their mistakes?
What was Bette Clair McMurray's foundation?
She had the lion's share of a multi-million dollar industry and Bette, now a wealthy woman, established two charitable foundations, the Gihon Foundation in 1976, to collect paintings and other artworks by women, and the Bette Clair McMurray Foundation to support women in need, in 1978.
When did Bette Clair McMurray divorce Robert Graham?
In 1975, Liquid Paper moved into a 35,000-square-foot international headquarters building in Dallas. The plant had equipment that could produce 500 bottles a minute. That same year, she divorced Robert Graham. In 1976, the Liquid Paper Corporation turned out 25 million bottles, while the company spent $1 million a year on advertising alone. She had the lion's share of a multi-million dollar industry and Bette, now a wealthy woman, established two charitable foundations, the Gihon Foundation in 1976, to collect paintings and other artworks by women, and the Bette Clair McMurray Foundation to support women in need, in 1978.
Where did Bette Nesmith go to school?
Bette attended the Alamo Heights School in San Antonio, Texas until she was 17, at which point she left school to marry her childhood sweetheart and soldier Warren Nesmith. Nesmith went off to World War II and while he was away, she had their only son, Michael Nesmith (later of The Monkees fame). They divorced in 1946.
What did Bette Graham do?
Bette Graham was now wealthy, with fabulous jewelry and a Rolls-Royce. She established two foundations, the Gihon Foundation, which gave grants and financial support to promote women in the arts, and the Bette Clair McMurray Foundation, which did the same for women in business.
How many bottles of liquid paper were produced in 1975?
By 1975, Liquid Paper was producing 25 million bottles a year and holding a vast share of a multimillion-dollar market that had spawned several competitors, like Wite-Out. Bette Graham was now wealthy, with fabulous jewelry and a Rolls-Royce.
What did a struggling secretary create?
A struggling secretary created a concoction that relieved her and others around the world from the pressure of perfection.
What was the liquid paper?
The substance was Liquid Paper, the correction fluid that relieved secretaries and writers of all stripes from the pressure of perfection. Graham later brought it to market and was soon leading an international business, based in Dallas, that produced 25 million bottles of Liquid Paper a year at its peak, with factories in Toronto and Brussels.
When did Bette Graham divorce Robert Graham?
In 1975 they went through an acrimonious divorce. The bitterness remained, and Robert Graham maneuvered to have the company bar her from making any corporate decisions. “They wouldn’t let me come on the premises or let anyone there have anything to do with me,” Bette Graham said.
Did Bette Nesmith Graham mix nail polish?
Bette Nesmith Graham didn’t tell anyone about the first few bottles of her whitish concoction. She had mixed it in her kitchen blender and poured it into nail polish containers, then hid it in her desk, furtively applying it only when needed to avoid the scrutiny of a disapproving boss.
When did the liquid paper company start?
She was promptly fired, giving her a chance to become a full-time small business owner in 1958. That year she applied for a patent and changed the name to the Liquid Paper Company. Image. Graham formed the Liquid Paper Company in 1958, spawning a multimillion-dollar market.
Bette Nesmith Graham Birthday and Date of Death
Bette Nesmith Graham was born on March 23, 1924 and died on May 12, 1980. Bette was 56 years old at the time of death.
Bette Nesmith Graham - Biography
Bette Nesmith Graham (March 23, 1924 – May 12, 1980) was an American typist, commercial artist, and the inventor of white-out. She was also the mother of musician and producer Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.
Early Life
The Invention of Liquid Paper
The Mistake Out Company
Liquid Paper's Success
Death and Legacy
- Despite increasing health issues, Bette Graham managed to wrest back control of the company and in 1979, Liquid Paper was sold to Gillette for $47.5 million and Bette's royalty rights were restored. Bette Nesmith Graham believed money to be a tool, not a solution to a problem. Her two foundations supported several ways to help women find new ways t...
Surviving The Paperless Office
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