On this day in 1892, actress Mae West is born in Brooklyn. She began performing in vaudeville shows in early childhood and soon graduated to Broadway shows. She began writing her own material and in 1926 produced her own play, Sex, about a gigolo. West was arrested and spent 10 days in jail for obscenity. Undaunted, she continued writing plays and battling censors and finally scored a Broadway success with her 1928 play, Diamond Lil. West went on to become a Hollywood star and one of the most highly paid women in the United States. The actress died of a stroke on Nov. 22, 1980.