The magic all began back in 1973. Only 19 at the time, Oprah got her television start covering local news in Nashville. She then moved on to Baltimore to become an anchorwoman for the evening news. From the beginning, Oprah says she preferred telling people's stories to reporting straight-up news.

After being demoted from anchoring the Baltimore news, Oprah finally found her niche as the co-host of a local morning show called People Are Talking. Then, after hearing that a morning show in Chicago needed a new host, Oprah says she became obsessed with getting the job.

This shot from the original audition tape that got her hired in Chicago is a blast from the past! Needless to say, Oprah got the job. To her surprise, the show was a bit of a disaster at first. But by adding a live audience, Oprah fixed things immediately.