10 Interesting Facts About The Queen Of Talk Oprah Winfrey

She now has one of the most famous names in the whole wide world. Winfrey was named "Orpah" after the biblical character in the Book of Ruth on her birth certificate, but people mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck. She's the Queen of Talk and Harpo was the god of silence. So it looks like it worked out.

Spirituality was big to her. In fact as a child, Oprah Winfrey was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability to recite Bible verses as her grandmother often took her to church.

Now one of the richest women on the planet, she can look back on tougher times. Winfrey's family was so poor growing up that, as a child, Winfrey was teased at school for wearing dresses made of potato sacks. She often talked about her humble beginnings in her talk show and other platforms.

Oprah Winfrey openly discussed her childhood sexual abuse suffered at the hands of male relatives and her mother's friends on a special episode of her show focusing on sexual abuse in 1986. Since then, she has become a staunch advocate for victims of abuse, helping them tremendously.

Her start was on the news. Oprah was anchoring the news at Nashville's WTVF-TV when she was just 19, making her the youngest person and the first African-American woman to hold the position. Talk about a history maker!

Family has been important to her. Winfrey credits her grandmother for guiding her towards success, saying that it was Hattie Mae who encouraged her to speak up in public, giving Winfrey confidence at an early age and a positive sense of self.

Perhaps her biggest contribution to pop culture was her talk show. Winfrey is credited for popularizing the intimate, confessional form of talk show, which has since become common across cable networks. The format is now the only acceptable method of daytime talks shows in America.

She joined a select group recently. In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor) by President Barack Obama.

She's no slouch in her wallet either. Many associate money bags with her, and the fact is that Oprah Winfrey is the first black woman billionaire and the richest African-American woman. Surely many more will follow in her footsteps...

Always a chart-topper, Winfrey has interviewed countless celebrities, including Michael Jackson, whose interview became the 4th most watched event in American television history, as well as the most watched interview of all-time, with 36 million viewers. Not everyone can do that. Perhaps we'll see her back hosting soon...`