Magazines

Learn about the history of the 20th Century with these old magazine articles. Find information on 20th Century history by reading these historic magazine articles.

Mad Magazine (Coronet Magazine, 1960)

When Mad Magazine first appeared on newsstands in 1952 it was immediately recognized as something quite new in so far as American satirical magazine humor was concerned. The earliest issues were produced in comic book format with almost all content produced by its founding editor, Harvey Kurtzman (1924 – 1993); by 1955 the magazine’s lay-out was altered to its current form. From its earliest days, Kurtzman and his publisher, William Gaines (1922 – 1992), began receiving unsolicited gags from many of the finest writers and performers on radio and TV. This article lists some of the scandals (both foreign and domestic) that the magazine inadvertently generated.

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The Hobo News (Collier’s Magazine, 1945)

The Hobo News printed poems, cartoons, pin-ups, essays and news items that were useful to that unique class of men who rode the rails and frequent flop-houses. It was established in New York City by Pat The Roaming Dreamer Mulkern (1903 – 1948); the paper was run by hobos, for hobos and printed proudly across the awnings of their assorted offices were the words a little cheer to match the sorrow. Mulkern recognized that no self-respecting litigator would ever stoop to sue a newspaper with such a pathetic name, and so the paper was voluntarily in constant violation of U.S. copyright law by habitually printing the articles they most admired that had earlier appeared in Collier’s, The New Yorker and The Saturday Evening Post.

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News of the World (Coronet Magazine, 1960)

Unlike other publications that enter this world with high ideals and lofty ambitions in matters concerning free-speech, the right-to-know, good form and all that sort of stuff – only to slowly devolve into petty, libelous innuendo rags before they cease publication altogether – the British daily The News of The World (1843 – 2011) made its appearance on Fleet Street seeming as if it was already on its way out. As the saying goes, it sold out early and beat the rush.


Although its earliest editions covered the Crimean War, as well as all the other Victorian military adventures, the paper’s editorial policy had always been positioned somewhere to the left of Whoopee.

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’47 Magazine (’47 Magazine, 1947)

’47 Magazine was established in March of 1947 and it was their intention to change their name with the calendar year, year by year and on through the succeeding decades. We have in our vast periodical library a few copies of ’48 Magazine – but that is as far as they got before they were voted off the island.


It was a terrific magazine – and many of the names on their board of directors are recognized as some of the best literary minds that America had produced in the mid-Twentieth Century. But, as you’ll see when you read the attached manifesto (they called it a Statement of Intent, but I think that they really wanted to call it was a manifesto) they deeply desired to create an arts magazine that was entirely free of accountants, advertisers, lawyers, agents and, ultimately, profits; so they weren’t around very long.

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Rob Wagner’s Script (Rob Wagner’s Script, 1946)

Written by one of the underpaid ink-slingers who toiled silently on the corner of Dayton and Rodeo Drive, is the skinny on that unique magazine published in Beverly Hills, California between the years 1929 through 1949, Rob Wagner’s Scriptstyle=border:none. It was an exceptional magazine that took courageous stands on a number of moral issues, such as the wartime incarceration of Japanese-Americans. As a product of Los Angeles it not only addressed a good many issues involving Hollywood but also published the writings of Walt Disney, Dalton Trumbo, Ray Bradbury and Charlie Chaplin. From a graphic stand-point it was, perhaps, a bit envious of the New Yorker, but Script also laid claim to a number of fine cartoonists; Leo Politi (1908 – 1996) worked for a time as the magazine’s Art Director. In the late Forties Salvador Dali contributed cover illustrations. We recommend that you read the attached article and suggest that you surf over to Wikipedia for additional history concerning this magazine.

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When YANK Closed It’s Doors (Maptalk, 1945)

When the flaks had all said their bit and the Japanese and Germans had all signed on the dotted line, YANK MAGAZINE did what everybody else was doing – they demobilized. When YANK published their last issue numerous magazine and newspaper editors were pretty choked-up about it and they wrote columns about how sad they all were to see it go; this one appeared in another U.S. Army rag.


More on this magazine can be read HERE…


Read about the time when THE STARS & STRIPES ceased printing…

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What was Pathfinder Magazine (Pathfinder Magazine, 1950)

PATHFINDER MAGAZINE was a pretty terrific news organ and to thumb through any of the issues spanning 1910 through 1922 you’ll get the sense that it had a heavy hand in influencing TIME, NEWSWEEK and any number of other magazines that came later. Established in Washington, D.C. in 1894, PATHFINDER earned its reputation as a genuine source for domestic and international news.


This article was written by its last publisher, Graham Patterson, and it served as both a history of that weekly as well as an obituary for its founder, George Mitchell – which is entirely fitting because the whole enterprise folded four and half years later. By the time its final issue rolled off the press in 1952 it had become the second largest news magazine in America – with a circulation numbering 1,200,000. With a record like that it seems odd that it went under at all.


Click here to read our collection of articles from PATHFINDER MAGAZINE.

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