Use of the internet and “emoticons” have made him (and his various friends and family) ubiquitous these days, but have you ever wondered about the origins of the Smiley Face? He was invented in 1964 by Harvey Ball. A life insurance company had recently gone through a difficult merger and the staff was unhappy with the results. Ball’s advertising firm was brought in to create a “friendship” campaign for the company. It took Ball ten minutes to come up with the design – and he was paid a whopping $45. From there the happy icon has taken on a life of his own, appearing everywhere from t-shirts to finger nails to emails. a true American icon. P.S. Studies have shown that those who smile are profoundly more successful-at work and in their relationships. Try your own experiment today: SMILE and see if the world smiles back.