The History of Magazine Publication
The publication of magazines has experienced robust grown from its beginnings in 1663 to the Internet magazines of 2009. The purpose of the magazine has changed only slightly through history.
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History
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Johann Rist, a German poet and composer, created the earliest known magazine. His magazine, Edifying Monthly Discussions, ran from 1663 until 1668. The early magazines were collections of summaries on art, literature, philosophy and science.
17th Century
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The 1672 magazine Le Mercure Galant, is the first one that showed a similarity to modern publications. It contained news, anecdotes and short pieces of verse. This style became widely imitated throughout magazine history.
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18th Century
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Andrew Bradford and Benjamin Franklin published the first magazines in the United States. Bradford's American Magazine was introduced to the colonies just three days before Franklin's General Magazine in 1741.
19th Century
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In the 1830s, magazines were aimed at the general public. The content began promoting improvement, enlightenment and family entertainment. By the end of the century, magazines had turned their eyes toward providing amusement.
20th Century
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Advertising was not popular in magazines until the 1900s. Reader's Digest, now a multimillion dollar magazine, did not allow advertisements until 1955. Advertising dollars now provide most of the income for print magazines.
21st Century
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With the trend toward Internet magazines, readership of traditional print versions has decreased since 1990. Magazines are being forced to cease publication.
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