Happy birthday to the legendary Oprah Winfrey! In honor of this inspirational celebrity’s birthday, here are 5 times she made the world a better place by putting smiles on our faces.
Oprah Winfrey has been one of the most influential humans in the media since the start of her career in the 1970s. To celebrate 68 years of Oprah’s incredible life, we’ve compiled a list of some of her most impactful and memorable moments.
Free-Car Giveaway
We all know and love this iconic surprise from Oprah to her studio audience in 2004. Commonly known as the “you get a car, you get a car” moment, it has to be one of the most memorable occasions in her career and in broadcast history. From just this piece of unforgettable television, it’s obvious that no one has had quite the same meaningful impact that Oprah has had on audiences and viewers alike.
The Small Change Campaign
In 1997 Oprah asked viewers to collect their loose change and send those coins to the Angel Network, where she paid all the overhead costs for the charity to operate. The goal of raising this money was to provide 50 students with an opportunity to attend college. With the help of Oprah’s viewers, she was able to raise $3.5 million. This was certainly a life-changing moment in the lives of these students and their families. Amazing!
Oprah’s Favorite Things
Oprah fell in love with the soft and comfy Karen Neuberger pajamas, so she wanted to share them as a gift to her audience members on her show in 1996. On the November 27th show, Oprah walked out to the stage, twinning in her Karen Neuberger pajamas with her audience, while listening to the song “My Favorite Things.” This is where the segment Oprah’s Favorite Things was born. From then on, every holiday season Oprah had one episode dedicated to her favorite things where she would share her favorite products, and every audience member would receive that product as a gift. The segment basically became another national holiday. Most notably, this segment also influenced the idea known as “The Oprah Effect” because every product, brand, or company that Oprah promoted on the show had profound success, almost overnight, especially for struggling companies. In other words, everything that Oprah touched became a commercial phenomenon during that time, and it could be argued she still has that impactful effect to this day.
Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation (OWCF)
The OWCF aims to help organizations globally to give children, families, and communities the help they need to thrive, especially with education. As a passionate philanthropist, Oprah’s impact with the OWCF has donated $400 million, educated 72,000 individuals, and served 75 million meals around the world. Wow! Who else votes that Oprah should open her own college or education center with campuses worldwide already?! We would for sure attend!
Oprah Poses as Oprah Winfrey Look-Alike
There were more than a few times when Oprah went the distance to put a smile on her viewers’ faces. One of the best performances she put on was when she dressed up as an Oprah Winfrey look-alike to fool her fans. Take a look below!
Oprah has certainly put a smile on the faces of people worldwide several times throughout her career. She always gives her audiences and fans something to look forward to by making our world a better place. Which Oprah moment was your fav?
