Who was Madam C. J. Walker?

Madam C.J. Walker, the first black millionairess in America, invented the world's first hair-straightening formula. After changing her name to “Madam” C. J. Walker, she founded her own business and began selling Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp treatment to target the cause of hair loss. After suffering from a scalp ailment that resulted in her own hair loss, she invented her line of African-American hair care products in 1905.

Given the name Sarah Breedlove at birth in 1867, she was one of six children who lived in Delta, Louisiana. So, by the time of her death in 1919 of elevated blood pressure, Madam Walker had become the wealthiest black woman in America and the first self-made female American millionaire. Also, because of her great work as a philanthropist and political and social activist, she received much fame and acclaim.