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RichardBranson(VirginGroup)EntrepreneurRichardBransonlaunchedVirginRecordsin1973.TodayVirginGroupholdsmorethan200companiesinmorethan30countries.EarlyLifeRichardCharlesNicholasBransonwasbornonJuly18,1950,inSurrey,England.Hisfather,EdwardJamesBranson,workedasabarrister.Hismother,EveBranson,wasemployedasaflightattendant.Richard,whostruggledwithdyslexia,hadahardtimewitheducationalinstitutions.Henearlyfailedoutoftheall-boysScaitcliffeSchool,whichheattendeduntiltheageof13.HethentransferredtoStoweSchool,aboardingschoolinStowe,Buckinghamshire,England.Stillstruggling,Bransondroppedoutattheageof16tostartayouth-culturemagazinecalledStudent.Thepublication,runbystudents,forstudents,sold$8,000worthofadvertisinginitsfirstedition,whichwaslaunchedthefollowingyear.Thefirstrunof50,000copieswasdistributedforfree,afterBransoncoveredthecostswithadvertising.By1969,BransonwaslivinginaLondoncommune,surroundedbytheBritishmusicanddrugscene.ItwasduringthistimethatBransonhadtheideatobeginamail-orderrecordcompanycalledVirgintohelpfundhismagazineefforts.Thecompanyperformedmodestly,butmadeBransonenoughthathewasabletoexpandhisbusinessventure,addingarecordshopinOxfordStreet,London.Withthesuccessoftherecordshop,thehighschooldrop-outwasabletobuildarecordingstudioin1972inOxfordshire,England.VirginRecordsHisfirstartistontheVirginRecordslabel,MikeOldfield,recordedhissingle"TubularBells"in1973withthehelpofBranson'steam.Thesongwasaninstantsmash,stayingontheUKchartsfor247weeks.UsingthemomentumofOldfield'ssuccess,Bransonthen,overthenextseveralyears,signedotheraspiringmusicalgroupstolabel,includingtheSexPistols.ArtistssuchastheCultureClub,theRollingStones,andGenesiswouldfollow,helpingtomakeVirginMusiconeofthetopsixrecordcompaniesintheworld.BusinessExpansionBransonexpandedhisentrepreneurialeffortsyetagain,thistimetoincludethetravelcompanytheVoyagerGroupin1980,fouryearslatercametheairlineVirginAtlantic,andoverthatdecadeaseriesofVirginMegastoreswerebuilt.ButBranson'ssuccesswasnotalwayspredictable.By1992,Virginwassuddenlystrugglingtostayfinanciallyafloat.ThecompanywassoldthefollowingyeartoTHORNEMIfor$1billion.Bransonwasdeeplysaddenedbytheloss,reportedlycryingafterthecontractwassigned,butremaineddeterminedtostayinthemusicbusiness.In1994,hefoundedthestationVirginRadio,andseveralyearslaterhestartedasecondrecordcompany,V2.V2nowincludesartistssuchasPowderFingerandTomJones.Branson'sVirginGroupnowholdsmorethan200companiesinmorethan30countries,

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includingtheUnitedKingdom,theUnitedStates,Australia,Canada,Asia,EuropeandSouthAfrica.Hehasexpandedhisbusinessestoincludeatraincompany,aluxurygamepreserve,amobilephonecompanyandaspace-tourismcompany,VirginGalactic.Bransonisalsoknownforhissportingachievements,notablytherecord-breakingAtlanticcrossinginVirginAtlanticChallengerIIin1986,andthefirstcrossingbyhot-airballoonoftheAtlantic(1987)andPacific(1991).Hewasknightedin1999forhiscontributiontoentrepreneurship,andin2009,helandedatNo.261onForbes'"WorldBillionaires"listwithhis$2.5billioninself-madefortune,whichincludestwoprivateislands.VirginGalacticOverthelast5years,theever-adventurousBransonhasfocusedmuchofhisattentiononhisspacetourismventure.HepartneredwithScaledCompositestoformTheSpaceshipCompany,whichiscurrentlydevelopingasuborbitalspaceplane,and,inApril2013,theprojectmadeanimpressiveleapforwardwiththetestlaunchofSpaceShipTwo.Bransonwasdelightedbythesuccessofhisspaceship'sfirsttest,tellingNBCNewsthat"We'reabsolutelydelightedthatitbrokethesoundbarrieronitsveryfirstflight,andthateverythingwentsosmoothly."Heexpectstobefinishingtestingthecraftbytheendof2013.ByApril2013,morethan500peoplehadboughttheirticketsforVirginGalactic'svoyages.Unfortunately,thesecondspaceflighttestendedindisaster,wheninOctober,2014,thetestspaceshipcrashedkillingoneoftwothepilots.2015seesVirgintobeginmoretestingandrefiningitsspacetourismprogram.Adaptedfrom:http://www.biography.com/people/richard-branson-9224520

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RichardBransonTimelineReadthetextandchronologicallyordertheeventsinhislife

Timeperiods Date Activity2010–2015spacetourism

1950 born

2015 200companiesin30

countries

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RichardBransonANSWERSDuration Date Activity 1950 born

1963 Changedschools

1966 Droppedoutofschool

1967 StartedMagazine‘student’

1969–1972–recordshop 1969 Mailorderrecordcompany

1972 Recordingstudio

1973–1976–moreartists 1973 1startist(MikeOakfield)

1980 Travelcompany

1980–1990megastores

1984 airline

1986 Atlanticcrossing(VirginChallengerII)

1987 Atlanticcrossing–Hotairballoon

1991 Pacificcrossing–Hotairballoon

1992 Problemswithfinances

1993 SoldVirgintoThornEMI

1994-V2presentfamous

artists

2010–2015spacetourism

1994 VirginRadio

1999 Knighted

2009 No261ForbesWorldbillionaires

2010 Spacetourismventure

2013 LaunchSpaceshipTwo

2013(end) FinishtestingSpaceship

2013(end) 500ticketssold

2014 crashed

2015 Moretestingandrefiningspaceprogramme

2015 200companiesin30countries