Get to Know

BETTE NESMITH GRAHAM

In this fact-file find out why we turned Bette into a superhero.

WHO WAS BETTE NESMITH GRAHAM?

Name: Bette Nesmith Graham
Born: 1924
Died: 1980
Occupation: Inventor
Nationality: American

Bette Nesmith Graham was an American typist, artist and inventor. In the 1950's she supported her family by working as a secretary at Texas Bank and Trust. In those days it was difficult to erase typos made by typewriters and correcting mistakes slowed work - a lot!

One day while painting Bette had a sudden idea and decided to approach the problem as painters do. She painted over her mistakes. Bette took some white paint in a bottle and her paint brush to work and used it correct her mistakes. Over five years she improved on her work and over time coworkers sought her "paint out". In 1956 she began marketing her typewriter correction fluid as "Mistake Out" and would go on to change the name to Liquid Paper when she began her own company in the 1960s.

Historic photograph of Bette Nesmith Graham, inventor of Liquid Paper, standing outdoors in a garden setting. She is wearing a cream-colored dress and cardigan, with a floral corsage on her left shoulder, and has styled red hair. A potted plant and wooden trellis are visible behind her.

In The Remarkablz Universe, Anandibai Joshi is no ordinary woman — Long before she became a master inventor, Bette was a secretary with a keen eye and a rebellious streak. She believed every mistake could be fixed – not hidden, but transformed. One morning while making coffee at work lightning struck. The surge shot through the coffee machine and hit her. When she blinked, the colours of the spilled coffee began to fade… and then disappear entirely. At first, Bette thought it was a trick of the light. But soon, she realised she had developed an extraordinary ability: she could remove colour from any object she touched, rendering it translucent and nearly invisible.

Superhero Backstory

Bette features in our signature card game, Top Quarkz. The game supports the development of maths, literacy and decision-making skills all while learning about some of the most impressive scientific discoveries throughout history.

We've explained the drawing and her playing card below so you can learn more about both Bette.

Bette developed one of the first forms of correction fluid (also known as WhiteOut).

The logo for Liquid Paper is on Bette's Chest

The background of the drawing is similar to a picture taken of Bette outside her home.

Superpower

Bette is known for creating Liquid Paper in 1956.

You can find Bette in the Texas. Why did we pick this location? Bette was born in Texas, USA in 1924.

Location

SideKick

All superheroes have a side-kick, Bette's side-kick is Christine Duval. Christine was Bette's mother.

Perfection? Bette can focus too much on doing things perfectly.

Weakness

Each drawing we create has one or more hidden treasure(s) about our superheroes' life experiences, depictions in art, jobs or discoveries. Did you find the ones hidden in this drawing?

Discovery

Illustrated superhero trading card of Bette Nesmith Graham from The Remarkablz. She has bright orange hair and is wearing a white top labeled "Liquid Paper" and a flowing grey and white skirt. Her powers include "Colour Deletion" and her weakness is "Perfection." She is standing confidently against a stylized background with earthy tones and leafy details. The card notes she invented Liquid Paper to correct writing mistakes.

We have packed a lot into our Top Quarkz playing cards - from amazing imagined superpowers to biographical information and hidden treasures.

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