In 1955 Epple Lederer won a contest. The prize was to write an advice column for the Chicago Sun Times newspaper. In 1956 Pauline Phillips began writing an advice column for the San Francisco Chronicle. Both columns became very popular and were soon being published in many newspapers. At one time, each column-Ann Landers and Dear Abby-had nearly 100 million readers around the world had a Eppie Lederer Ann Landers) and Pauline Phillips(Abigailvan Buren') Phillips often significant influence-on individuals and on important issues. For example, calling me? After they who sounded very in They say, "You're she saved start talking Ilcan suggest they get professional help in this way, people's lives. In 1971, when the US Congress was reluctant to pass a law devoting money to cancer research, Lederer asked her readers to write letters, Congress received more letters than it had in its entire history-and passed the law had remained basically over the years, both columnists said that people's problems wait to get to work the same. But the work was always interesting. Phillips said, I can't men, teenagers in the morning For one thing, there's no typical letter writer women, There's no all write about their problems. And, as Phillips said in response to a question, Above reason to make up anything. There's nothing weirder than what l get in the mail: all, they were committed to helping their readers. were twin sisters? Is it just coincidence that these two famous advice-givers her mother write Maybe but maybe not. Jeanne Phillips, Pauline's daughter, helped Margo Howard, "Dear Abby: She was a teenager when she started to help her mother. must be in the Lederer's daughter, now writes an advice column called Dear Margo"lt genes, says Jeanne Phillips, only partly joking