Erma Bombeck

Erma Louise Bombeck, born Erma Fiste, was an American humorist who gained great popularity for her newspaper column that humorously depicted suburban home life. She was born on February 21, 1927, in Dayton, Ohio. Bombeck began her writing career as a reporter for the University of Dayton's student newspaper, The Giants' Tale. After graduating in 1949, she worked as a reporter for the Dayton Journal-Herald, where she claimed her first fiction writing was the weather forecast.

Bombeck's big break came in 1965 when she started writing her humor column, "At Wit's End," which described suburban home life in a witty and relatable way. The column was syndicated in more than 900 newspapers in the United States and Canada, with a readership of 30 million. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Her popularity and success from her column led her to transition to book writing, where she published fifteen books in her career, with the majority becoming instant best-sellers.

In addition to her writing, Bombeck was also a television writer and a professor at the University of Dayton. She was a breast cancer survivor and an advocate for women's health issues. She passed away on April 27, 1996, but her legacy lives on through her writing and her impact on American humor and popular culture. Her columns and books continue to be read and enjoyed by audiences today, and she is remembered for her unique and relatable perspective on family life.

Erma Bombeck's writing was known for its wry and warm look at family life, which resonated with audiences and made her America's favorite humorist at the time of her death in 1996. Ten of her 13 books, including Forever, Erma, appeared on the New York Times best-seller list. She was also known for her love of pasta, and her hobby was dust. Her writing continues to be celebrated and read by many, as her humor and perspective on family life remain relatable and entertaining to readers today.