The identical twins from Sioux City who, as Ann Landers and “Dear Abby,” became America's most-read advice columnists.
Identical twins Esther “Eppie” Pauline Friedman and Pauline “Popo” Esther Friedman were born on July 4, 1918, in Sioux City, Iowa, daughters of a Russian-Jewish immigrant who ran local theaters.
Esther became “Ann Landers,” and Pauline created the rival “Dear Abby” column as Abigail Van Buren. For decades their frank, witty advice ran in thousands of newspapers, reaching tens of millions of readers worldwide.
At their peak the sisters' columns were among the most widely read features on the planet, shaping how ordinary people talked about family, manners, and everyday dilemmas. Both born in Sioux City, they are a remarkable Iowa footnote to American media history.
The “Dear Abby” column continued under Pauline's daughter, carrying the family name forward.
The identical twins from Sioux City who, as Ann Landers and “Dear Abby,” became America's most-read advice columnists.
Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren was from Sioux City, Iowa.
1918–2013.
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