Want to Change Your World? Try Publishers Clearing House!
A truly world-changing event often is hard to come by and, if you’re lucky, you might just see a few in your lifetime. And believe it or not, there are everyday things all around us that have changed the world as we know it – and they all resulted from contests just like those at Publishers Clearing House.
Five Amazing Contests that Changed the World
1.Margarine – Emperor Louis Napoleon III commissioned a contest in 1860s France to create a substitute for butter. The winner: margarine. The prize: patents to manufacture margarine in Europe and America.
2. European Vacations – The Orteig Prize promised $25,000 to the first aviator to fly solo, non-stop from New York to Paris. Charles Lindbergh prevailed! He also might be responsible for the invention of FOMO. Following his win, the world became obsessed with flying.
3.Canned Vegetables – In 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte offered 12,000 francs (about $50,000 in today’s money) to the person who could invent a way to safely store food. The winner: boiling and sealing food in glass containers, which were replaced by tin cans a few years later.
4. Private Spaceflight – In 2004, SpaceShipOne captured the $10 million Ansari X Prize for being the first privately developed, reusable spacecraft. Today, the idea of ordinary citizens going into space quickly is becoming a reality.
5. Sweepstakes – Sweepstakes date back to the 15th century, but it wasn’t until PCH rolled out its first sweeps in 1967 that the idea captured America’s attention. Fifty-plus years later, PCH has awarded nearly $450,000,000 and created more than 150 millionaires – giving millions of people the cash they need to change their world by getting out of debt, opening a business, and more.
Over the years, Publishers Clearing House has become nearly synonymous with “sweepstakes,” and there’s no sign of stopping now. Chances to change your world by winning one (or more) of PCH’s many sweepstakes are available every day. You just have to step up and take the chance – like so many PCH winners already have done!
What contest would you like to win most, and what would you do with the winnings? Start a new business? Create a charity? Build a school? Let us know in the comments – and don’t forget to enter!
Russell S.
PCH Creative
