Ann Landers

Esther Pauline “Eppie” Lederer (née Friedman), better known by her pen name of Ann Landers, was born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1918. She and her identical twin sister Pauline Esther both attended Morningside College, where they wrote a gossip column for the university newspaper. Landers began her career by writing the “Ask Ann Landers” column for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1955; she continued to write the column for 47 years until her death in 2002, becoming a national celebrity and earning a readership of 90 million in the process. Her twin wrote a competing column, “Dear Abby,” causing the sisters to have a contentious relationship for most of their lives.