March 4, 1974, marks the release of the first issue of People magazine. Actress Mia Farrow appeared on the cover of the inaugural issue.
Richard Stolley, former assistant managing editor of Life Magazine, founded People. Stolley emphasized that he wanted to focus on “the headliners, the stars, the important doers, the comers, and plenty of ordinary men and women caught up in extraordinary situations.” His vision was to spotlight people’s lives.
The first issue profiled William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist; designer Gloria Vanderbilt; and Marina Oswald, widow of Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy’s assassin. It cost 35 cents and was printed in black and white, except for the cover. The issue sold 1.4 million copies.
Before its official launch in 1974, the magazine produced a “dummy” test issue featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the cover. Stolley circulated the issue among the male staff, who described it as “journalistic popcorn.” He then contacted Clare Boothe Luce, the widow of Time Inc. co-founder Henry R. Luce, who tested it at her hair salon.
The magazine found success among women and on newsstands. “It is bound to be the best-read magazine in any hairdressing salon in America—and in any doctor’s or dentist’s waiting room.” The intention was that “it will probably be read from cover to cover, because reading it is like eating peanuts—you can’t stop once you begin.”
Because the senior editorial staff was predominantly male, Stolley hired Shirley Estabrook as deputy news editor. After Stolley eventually left the magazine, Pat Ryan succeeded him, becoming the second woman to serve as a Time Inc. managing editor.
The magazine has continued to feature singers, actors, royals, and more. It is most notable for lists such as “The 100 Most Beautiful People” and “Sexiest Man Alive.” People is known for bringing entertainment and celebrity news to mainstream media, inspiring other magazines such as Us Weekly and TV celebrity news shows like “Entertainment Tonight.”
Currently, People has 32 million weekly magazine readers and 77 million monthly website visitors. For its 50th anniversary in 2024, the magazine showcased some of its most iconic cover stars, including Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, and Dwayne Johnson. Staying true to its mission of highlighting people’s lives, the commemorative issue also revisited individuals who faced extraordinary circumstances, such as Jessica McClure, who survived falling into a well as a baby in 1987, and Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of AIDS activist Ryan White, who passed away in 1990.
Editor in Chief Wendy Naugle wrote in her editor’s letter for the issue, “Our goal is to take our readers up close to our subjects so that we can all understand what motivates them and to find the commonality of the human experience, the ups and downs, the tragedies and the triumphs.”
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