Jacqueline Cochran (1906–1980) endured a very difficult start to life. Raised in poverty by Ira and Mary Pittman, she was later informed that the Pittmans were actually her foster parents. The Pittmans moved from state to state—Florida, Alabama, Georgia—settling wherever work could be procured. She found herself working in a cotton mill at the age of 8. It was only then that she was able to purchase her first pair of shoes. Her dresses were made of old flour sacks. Despite such a childhood, which saw her drop out of school at age 9, Cochran (whose name was then Bessie Pittman) possessed beauty, a beaming personality, and a relentless work ethic. The combination of these three, along with a knack for entrepreneurship and adventure, would guide her to one of the most successful and daring lives of the 20th century.
While in Florida as a child, she began working at a beauty shop, and began cutting clients’ hair at 13. By 14, she became one of the few in the country who was skilled at operating the permanent-wave machine. Also, at age 14, she married Robert Cochran, and gave birth to a son three months later.
