July 18th: The Day Richard Branson was Born

Sir Richard Branson

July 18th 1950 was the day the Earth was graced with the presence of the 4th richest citizen of the United Kingdom, Sir Richard Branson. This year he celebrated his 62nd birthday, making it 46 years since he set up his first business with the magazine Student, aged 16. Known best for the Virgin Group, Branson has expanded his business to over 400 companies, meaning he now has an estimated net worth of $4.2 billion (yet there are still 3 other people in the U.K. who are richer than him!).
    Virgin Records, or Virgin Megastores as it is known today, first came on the scene in 1972 and continued growing into its own music label, most dramatically during the 1980s. Since then, Branson's business has spilled onto the music festival industry with the extremely popular annual V Festival. He has even tried his hand to the travel industry with Virgin Atlantic Airways: is there anything he won't try?! It is encouraging that one man has managed to achieve so much in 62 years, especially considering he has poor academic skills and suffers from dyslexia, proving the common modern myth wrong that you will fail at life if you can't do essays and exams.