Can you name the two sisters who have newspaper columns in hundreds of newspapers throughout the English speaking world?

For decades, two of the most widely read and trusted voices in America belonged to a pair of rival identical twin sisters. Esther "Eppie" Lederer took over the "Ask Ann Landers" column in 1955, establishing a tone of compassionate but firm, common-sense advice. Just months later, her sister Pauline Phillips launched her own column, "Dear Abby," under the pen name Abigail Van Buren. At their peak, their columns were syndicated in thousands of newspapers globally, reaching a combined daily readership of over 100 million people.

The creation of the "Dear Abby" column sparked a famous and long-lasting professional rivalry between the sisters that reportedly strained their personal relationship for years. Pauline Phillips chose her pen name for its dignified sound, combining the name of the wise woman from the Old Testament, Abigail, with the surname of former U.S. President Martin Van Buren. Both writers became cultural icons, dispensing pithy and memorable advice on everything from wedding etiquette to life-altering moral dilemmas.

While the original Ann Landers column ended after Lederer's death in 2002, the "Dear Abby" column continues to this day. The family legacy was secured when Pauline Phillips's daughter, Jeanne Phillips, began co-writing the column in the late 1980s and officially took it over upon her mother's retirement.