Photo: George Ellis Johnson Sr. founded Johnson Products Company in Chicago, creating products such as Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, https://aaregistry.org/story/george-e-johnson-was-a-natural-businessman/
Entrepreneur John Johnson was the leading 20th Century publisher of African American media, having founded Ebony and Jet magazines.
But before Ebony and Jet, there was Negro Digest. In 1942 with $500, John Johnson sold subscriptions and with the earnings published Negro Digest (later renamed Black World). Three years later, Johnson launched Ebony. It was similar to the successful white pictorial publication Life magazine but Ebony chronicled Black life. In 1951, Johnson began publishing the weekly Jet magazine, which reported Black news. They were all successful and in 1982, Johnson became the first African American to appear on the Forbes list of wealthiest Americans, Black Past reported.
John Johnson later expanded into fashion, cosmetics, and insurance.
