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Thomas Edison (1847-1931) -

The inventor famously said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" before successfully inventing the practical electric light bulb.

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Oprah Winfrey -

Oprah overcame a challenging upbringing and faced numerous obstacles in her career, including being fired from her first job for being unfit for television. But in the end, she became one of the most influential media moguls and philanthropists in the world.

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Walt Disney (1901-1966) -

Disney faced numerous rejections and failures before creating the iconic brand. He was turned down by multiple investors and faced financial difficulties, however, he continued to pursue his dream.

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Steve Jobs (1955-2011) -

Co-founder of Apple Inc., Jobs was fired from his own company, but he then returned to lead Apple, making it one of the world's most valuable tech companies.

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Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) -

One of the greatest comedic minds of all time, Chaplin had a difficult childhood. His father abandoned his mother when he was just two-years old, and at the age of nine, his mother was permanently committed to a mental asylum. 

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Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) -

After spending 27 years in prison, Mandela became the first black President of South Africa and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. He played a key role in ending apartheid in his country.

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J.K. Rowling -

The 'Harry Potter' author faced rejection from multiple publishers before her books became a global phenomenon, and one of the best-selling book series in history.

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Rosa Parks (1913-2005) -

The civil rights activist is best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. Parks refused to accept segregation and became an icon for equality.

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Bill Gates -

Best known for co-founding the software giant Microsoft, Gates has come a long way. When he was 17, his first software company called, Traf-O-Data, which analyzed raw traffic logs, failed. 

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Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) -

The military commander and French Emperor faced numerous setbacks, but continuously returned to power, making a significant impact on European history.

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Maya Angelou (1928-2014) -

The renowned poet, author, and activist faced a challenging upbringing, but became a significant voice in American literature and civil rights.

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Helen Keller (1880-1968) -

Despite being deaf and blind from an early age, Keller overcame her disabilities to become an author, lecturer, and a disability rights advocate. 

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Colonel Harland Sanders (1890-1980) -

The founder of KFC was rejected 1,009 times by numerous restaurants when trying to sell his fried chicken recipe. He persisted and eventually built an international fast-food empire.

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Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) -

The pioneering aviator became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She disappeared during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe, but her legacy lives on.

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The Beatles -

The Beatles were turned down by almost every record label, despite some local success playing cover songs in UK bars and clubs. In one infamous rejection, an executive at Decca Records declined to sign them because "guitar groups are on the way out" and "The Beatles have no future in show business." Talk about a big mistake! 

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Winston Churchill (1874-1965) -

As the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Churchill's leadership and speeches rallied the British people and the Allies during World War II. 

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Jay-Z -

In the early '90s, Jay-Z was turned down by every record label in the business. But instead of giving up, he formed his own record label to release his first album.

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Harriet Tubman (1822-1933) -

The abolitionist and social activist escaped slavery and then risked her life to lead countless others to freedom through the Underground Railroad. In her later years, Tubman was also an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.

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Stephen King -

One of the most famous horror authors of all time, King's first novel, 'Carrie' (1974) was rejected by 30 publishers until it was finally accepted by DoubleDay.

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Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) -

Widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Ali faced political and personal challenges but remained steadfast in his principles. As an objector to the Vietnam War, he became an icon for the larger counterculture of the '60s and the civil right's movement. 

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Soichiro Honda (1906-1991) -

The founder of the Honda Motor Company, dealt with an enormous amount of setbacks. In 1937, at the time of the Great Depression, Honda founded a company in an attempt to create piston rings for Toyota, but failed. Then his first factory was bombed during WWII. Shortly after that, his second factory was destroyed by an earthquake. 

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Fred Astaire (1899-1987) -

Fred Astaire's career in the entertainment industry lasted for 76 years. However, it didn't start out easy. According to him, he was rejected during an early Hollywood screen test when the producer stated, "Can't act. Slightly bald. Dances a little."

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Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) -

One of the most celebrated children's authors of all time, failed and then dropped out of his PhD at Lincoln College, Oxford. Also, after he wrote his first book, 'And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street,' it was rejected 28 separate times. 

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Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) -

The inventor and engineer encountered financial difficulties and disputes with Thomas Edison, but continued to pursue groundbreaking work. Tesla is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. 

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Michael Jordan -

Before becoming one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game, Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team! 

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Henry Ford (1863-1947) -

Despite multiple business failures, Ford persisted in his efforts to develop the modern assembly line of mass production, this making automobiles accessible to the masses.

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Malala Yousafzai -

The Pakistani education activist defied the Taliban's threats to advocate for girls' education and became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate.

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Albert Einstein (1879-1955) -

One of the greatest thinkers of our time, Einstein didn't speak until he was four-years old. He also failed his entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic school in Zurich. And after eventually graduating from college, he worked as an insurance salesman, but quit after some time because he failed at that too.

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Elon Musk -

Musk faced numerous setbacks with his ventures, such as SpaceX and Tesla. Despite the challenges, he has become a prominent and controversial figure in the aerospace and electric vehicle industries.

Sources: (HuffPost)

See also: These women were the first in their fields

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