Gates says Yamaguchi started out as an experiment in the politics of art and race: What would happen to his pots and bowls, which weren't selling so well, if he told people they were made by the mixed-race son of a Japanese master potter who had taught his methods to the neighbors of his black Mississippi bride?

WSJ: The Artist Next Door | Innovator of the Year 2012 Art

It was like buying or selling a bet on a horse, halfway through the race.

FORBES: Black-Scholes Didn't Cause the Financial Crash

When her sales of boat race photos to the boat owners didn't cover her expenses, she branched out by selling them to sailing magazines.

FORBES: Hobby Horse