Remember Life Magazine? I remember thumbing through some of those oversized publications with their glossy photos whenever I’d visit my grandparents, and I even bought a few of the older magazines at a yard sale, just so I could see what they were like.
Henry Luce had conceived "Life" as a photograph-based magazine to be a contrast to the text-heavy "Time". At least initially, all of his publications (which also included "Fortune", "People" and "Sports Illustrated") had very unique identities that helped them stand out in the marketplace. Now, however, that is no longer the case (Luce would be disgusted at their current states.)
One recurring feature was "Life Goes To A Party", where they would cover a social event. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra used that title for a jazz tune that they performed during their legendary Carnegie Hall concert in 1938.
While "Life" no longer functions as a magazine, it will periodically issue special glossy publications for newsstand sales, usually tying in with an event anniversary or a celebrity's death.
Well-written story, Andrew, on Story's story. Had never heard of him, and, having had something cut (I'm guessing it was my umbilical cord) in 1955, I certainly grew up with "Life," and I know we subscribed, 'cause I took several family issues into this new century with that tell-tale white address sticker affixed (upside-down, as it happens....in what I imagined, as a kid, was a nod to privacy) onto the lower-left-hand corner of the cover. Those issues had been kept because of their historical significance....moon landing, Challenger disaster, etc.
One feature I remember with fondness from the '70s was their back page, one issue. I think they called the page "One Last Look" or something similar. It was a page of many small photos. The premise was: Chronicle the travels of a one-dollar-bill. A "Life" photog specially-marked a bill, and "spent" it at some store in NYC. If it was given as change, the photog would simply follow the person wherever until the bill got spent again...and, so on! I can't tell you how I wish I could find/see that page again! That kind of minutiae and every-day happenstance/randomness fascinates me!
And, the fact that they chronicled its travels! I can't remember where it ended up, but I do think some air travel was included in the tracking! I don't even know how one would locate that issue. I've tried searching for key words that might've ID'ed that page, but I do know it'd be easier if one knew the cover story or issue date for which to search. *sigh* Well done, Andrew!
Very cool story about story (here is where i would insert a crying laughing roflol emoji but i wont but now you can’t unsee it). My parents kept stacks of Yellow book-like National Geographic’s and I would page through the gorgeous photos. Remember the Secret Life of Walter Mitty?
I definitely remember National Geographic mags. I might have had a box full of those HEAVY suckers at some point (I know they are heavy because they sucked to carry around).
If an emoji drops in the wild and no one is around to cringe, does it even exist?
I would like to share something I found (https://tinyurl.com/2azht854) a few years back in case you have not seen it. Scott Krisiloff read Time magazine from 1923 to 2000—nearly 4,000 issues and 77 years' worth of history.
Ten things he learned from reading every TIME Magazine in history:
1) Compared to the scale of history, a human lifespan is relatively brief. In the early days of TIME, the editors of the magazine began obituaries with the phrase "As it must to all men, Death came, last week to ... " It was a reminder that eventually we all return to the same place no matter how rich, famous or powerful. We all know that life is short, but watching the cycle of birth and death for entire generations drives home just how short life really is. Over 77 years I watched multiple generations live life's cycle. I also got to watch the major events that shaped society during those life spans. I noticed that major events happen relatively infrequently, are set in motion over very long periods of time and are driven by forces larger than any individual. A human lifespan is incredibly brief when measured against that scale.
2) Focus on the things that matter. We are all here for a short amount of time, so it's critical to use that time wisely. Wealth, fame and power won't lead to immortality. Societal memory is short and even those who make it to "the top" are eventually forgotten. This happens even faster than you might think. If you seek validation, personal achievement isn't the place to find it. Invest in family, friends and self understanding. These are the things that will be most valuable on your journey through life.
3) Savor life's best moments. There are a handful of times in life that everything falls into place and the collective energy of society reverberates with optimism. These times don't last forever, so it's important to appreciate them when you have them. In TIME these moments could often be traced back to single articles that captured the moment. One ofmy favorites was the Spring of 1955, when "Spring was full-blown in the U.S., and the nation's prevailing mood seemed to be as bright as its blossoms. The people of the U.S. had never been so prosperous."
4) The window you get into the world is relatively random. We all get a unique window of time on this planet and the events that we see are somewhat random. The person who lived the core of their adult life from 1920-1960 saw a very different view of the world than the person who lived that life from 1940-1980 or 1980-2020. Entirely different types of people would have thrived in those windows, and someone who may have been successful from 1980-2020 may have been stymied by forces greater than themselves from 1920-1960. Winners and losers are determined in large part by chance and circumstance.
5) Just when you think you understand everything, everything will change. When I was reading TIME I often imagined myself as someone who was born around 1900 and began a career in 1923. By the 1970s I reached a point where it felt as if I had seen it all. I had 50 years of career "experience" and cycles were repeating. Then the 1980s happened. Economic dynamics changed and turned everything I thought I knew on its head. I learned from this experience that there are structural breaks in the way that the world works and more forces in play than anyone has the capacity to understand.
6) Human progress is the result of an ongoing relay race among generations. At any given moment the planet is inhabited by a group of generations sharing a common experience. As time marches forward, the baton of leadership passes from one generation to the next and eventually an entirely new group of generations inherits the Earth. Each generation benefits from the wisdom of those who came before it and guides the course of society for those who will follow. One of the more profound changes in generational leadership happened after World War IL In 1945 TIME wrote "the way of man with man changes from generation to generation, and the way of man with a machine changes sometimes overnight. The war was bringing forward a new generation of men, and with them almost a new world of machines."
7) America works best when we work together on big projects. There is a school of thought that cutthroat competition leads to human progress. I found that the opposite was true. The defining event of the 20th century was World War II. The War created a mission that was so important that it rallied an entire society out of Economic Depression and organized every hand toward a common goal. The spirit of collective progress not only helped win the war, but endowed an entire generation of Americans with a sense of duty to community. This spirit carried our country for decades after the war and led to unparalleled progress in both economic output and social cohesion. We don't need war to organize us to solve big problems. We just need to set common goals that create a shared sense of purpose.
8) It's critical that we protect our institutions. Strong Institutions have much longer lifespans than any single generation or set of generations. Because of this, they provide stability and guidance for subsequent generations. It's critical that we protect and grow our institutions as touch points between generations and epochs. Beware of leaders who seek control of these institutions for personal enrichment and self aggrandizement. Institutions that have been built over the course of centuries can decline over the course of years. Seek leaders who are humble stewards and recognize that they are protecting something that is much greater than themselves.
9) Over the short term policy matters. Over the long term science matters. In 1999 TIME named Albert Einstein the Person of the Century. It was the perfect choice. The three fmalists for the honor were Roosevelt, Gandhi and Einstein, but the magazine ultimately chose Einstein because in the end "politics is for the moment. An equation is for eternity." In the short term government has the greatest impact on economic cycles, but over the long term science and technology define the productivity and standard ofliving of humanity. We should invest in science because this is an investment in the progress of humanity and provides a worthy mission to pursue while we spend our time on this Earth.
10) We all share a small world. In TIME's Person of the Century issue it also noted that "Einstein taught the greatest humility of all: that we are but a speck in an unfathomably large universe. The more we gain insight into its mysterious forces, cosmic and atomic, the more reason we have to be humble. And the more we harness the huge power of these forces, the more such humility becomes an imperative." This was the most important takeaway from observing the passage of time over the course of three quarters of a century. We don't fully understand why or how we are here but we share our short time on this planet with billions of other souls who are each trying to make sense of the same world in their own way. The need for compassion, empathy and humility is so much greater than the need for competition and conquest.
So interesting. I wonder if someone in Story's family was one of the owners or shareholders of LIFE? Who knows. But that is a fascinating account. Thanks.
Henry Luce had conceived "Life" as a photograph-based magazine to be a contrast to the text-heavy "Time". At least initially, all of his publications (which also included "Fortune", "People" and "Sports Illustrated") had very unique identities that helped them stand out in the marketplace. Now, however, that is no longer the case (Luce would be disgusted at their current states.)
One recurring feature was "Life Goes To A Party", where they would cover a social event. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra used that title for a jazz tune that they performed during their legendary Carnegie Hall concert in 1938.
While "Life" no longer functions as a magazine, it will periodically issue special glossy publications for newsstand sales, usually tying in with an event anniversary or a celebrity's death.
I think I saw something by Life somewhat recently, at a grocery store checkout line in a rural area.
They show up here in Canada at drug stores and 7-11.
And, they're noticeably smaller, too, with those special issues than they were for decades during regular pub!
Well-written story, Andrew, on Story's story. Had never heard of him, and, having had something cut (I'm guessing it was my umbilical cord) in 1955, I certainly grew up with "Life," and I know we subscribed, 'cause I took several family issues into this new century with that tell-tale white address sticker affixed (upside-down, as it happens....in what I imagined, as a kid, was a nod to privacy) onto the lower-left-hand corner of the cover. Those issues had been kept because of their historical significance....moon landing, Challenger disaster, etc.
One feature I remember with fondness from the '70s was their back page, one issue. I think they called the page "One Last Look" or something similar. It was a page of many small photos. The premise was: Chronicle the travels of a one-dollar-bill. A "Life" photog specially-marked a bill, and "spent" it at some store in NYC. If it was given as change, the photog would simply follow the person wherever until the bill got spent again...and, so on! I can't tell you how I wish I could find/see that page again! That kind of minutiae and every-day happenstance/randomness fascinates me!
And, the fact that they chronicled its travels! I can't remember where it ended up, but I do think some air travel was included in the tracking! I don't even know how one would locate that issue. I've tried searching for key words that might've ID'ed that page, but I do know it'd be easier if one knew the cover story or issue date for which to search. *sigh* Well done, Andrew!
Brad, that's my kind of tale, too! What a cool idea.
So what you're saying is Time Inc essentially murdered George Story by stopping to publish Life Magazine?!
But damn, what an uncanny story.
The moral of the story is that Time will ultimately always end Life.
*Insert 'Mind = Blown' GIF*
🤯
What a kicker to a fascinating post.
Very cool story about story (here is where i would insert a crying laughing roflol emoji but i wont but now you can’t unsee it). My parents kept stacks of Yellow book-like National Geographic’s and I would page through the gorgeous photos. Remember the Secret Life of Walter Mitty?
I definitely remember National Geographic mags. I might have had a box full of those HEAVY suckers at some point (I know they are heavy because they sucked to carry around).
If an emoji drops in the wild and no one is around to cringe, does it even exist?
Only magazine heavier is Heavy Metal and I know because those were part of my comic sale extravaganza
Life, National Geographic and Heavy Metal all shared the same focus on visual impact with a few words throw in for dressing
Now you've got me thinking about Savage Sword of Conan!
I would like to share something I found (https://tinyurl.com/2azht854) a few years back in case you have not seen it. Scott Krisiloff read Time magazine from 1923 to 2000—nearly 4,000 issues and 77 years' worth of history.
Ten things he learned from reading every TIME Magazine in history:
1) Compared to the scale of history, a human lifespan is relatively brief. In the early days of TIME, the editors of the magazine began obituaries with the phrase "As it must to all men, Death came, last week to ... " It was a reminder that eventually we all return to the same place no matter how rich, famous or powerful. We all know that life is short, but watching the cycle of birth and death for entire generations drives home just how short life really is. Over 77 years I watched multiple generations live life's cycle. I also got to watch the major events that shaped society during those life spans. I noticed that major events happen relatively infrequently, are set in motion over very long periods of time and are driven by forces larger than any individual. A human lifespan is incredibly brief when measured against that scale.
2) Focus on the things that matter. We are all here for a short amount of time, so it's critical to use that time wisely. Wealth, fame and power won't lead to immortality. Societal memory is short and even those who make it to "the top" are eventually forgotten. This happens even faster than you might think. If you seek validation, personal achievement isn't the place to find it. Invest in family, friends and self understanding. These are the things that will be most valuable on your journey through life.
3) Savor life's best moments. There are a handful of times in life that everything falls into place and the collective energy of society reverberates with optimism. These times don't last forever, so it's important to appreciate them when you have them. In TIME these moments could often be traced back to single articles that captured the moment. One ofmy favorites was the Spring of 1955, when "Spring was full-blown in the U.S., and the nation's prevailing mood seemed to be as bright as its blossoms. The people of the U.S. had never been so prosperous."
4) The window you get into the world is relatively random. We all get a unique window of time on this planet and the events that we see are somewhat random. The person who lived the core of their adult life from 1920-1960 saw a very different view of the world than the person who lived that life from 1940-1980 or 1980-2020. Entirely different types of people would have thrived in those windows, and someone who may have been successful from 1980-2020 may have been stymied by forces greater than themselves from 1920-1960. Winners and losers are determined in large part by chance and circumstance.
5) Just when you think you understand everything, everything will change. When I was reading TIME I often imagined myself as someone who was born around 1900 and began a career in 1923. By the 1970s I reached a point where it felt as if I had seen it all. I had 50 years of career "experience" and cycles were repeating. Then the 1980s happened. Economic dynamics changed and turned everything I thought I knew on its head. I learned from this experience that there are structural breaks in the way that the world works and more forces in play than anyone has the capacity to understand.
6) Human progress is the result of an ongoing relay race among generations. At any given moment the planet is inhabited by a group of generations sharing a common experience. As time marches forward, the baton of leadership passes from one generation to the next and eventually an entirely new group of generations inherits the Earth. Each generation benefits from the wisdom of those who came before it and guides the course of society for those who will follow. One of the more profound changes in generational leadership happened after World War IL In 1945 TIME wrote "the way of man with man changes from generation to generation, and the way of man with a machine changes sometimes overnight. The war was bringing forward a new generation of men, and with them almost a new world of machines."
7) America works best when we work together on big projects. There is a school of thought that cutthroat competition leads to human progress. I found that the opposite was true. The defining event of the 20th century was World War II. The War created a mission that was so important that it rallied an entire society out of Economic Depression and organized every hand toward a common goal. The spirit of collective progress not only helped win the war, but endowed an entire generation of Americans with a sense of duty to community. This spirit carried our country for decades after the war and led to unparalleled progress in both economic output and social cohesion. We don't need war to organize us to solve big problems. We just need to set common goals that create a shared sense of purpose.
8) It's critical that we protect our institutions. Strong Institutions have much longer lifespans than any single generation or set of generations. Because of this, they provide stability and guidance for subsequent generations. It's critical that we protect and grow our institutions as touch points between generations and epochs. Beware of leaders who seek control of these institutions for personal enrichment and self aggrandizement. Institutions that have been built over the course of centuries can decline over the course of years. Seek leaders who are humble stewards and recognize that they are protecting something that is much greater than themselves.
9) Over the short term policy matters. Over the long term science matters. In 1999 TIME named Albert Einstein the Person of the Century. It was the perfect choice. The three fmalists for the honor were Roosevelt, Gandhi and Einstein, but the magazine ultimately chose Einstein because in the end "politics is for the moment. An equation is for eternity." In the short term government has the greatest impact on economic cycles, but over the long term science and technology define the productivity and standard ofliving of humanity. We should invest in science because this is an investment in the progress of humanity and provides a worthy mission to pursue while we spend our time on this Earth.
10) We all share a small world. In TIME's Person of the Century issue it also noted that "Einstein taught the greatest humility of all: that we are but a speck in an unfathomably large universe. The more we gain insight into its mysterious forces, cosmic and atomic, the more reason we have to be humble. And the more we harness the huge power of these forces, the more such humility becomes an imperative." This was the most important takeaway from observing the passage of time over the course of three quarters of a century. We don't fully understand why or how we are here but we share our short time on this planet with billions of other souls who are each trying to make sense of the same world in their own way. The need for compassion, empathy and humility is so much greater than the need for competition and conquest.
So interesting. I wonder if someone in Story's family was one of the owners or shareholders of LIFE? Who knows. But that is a fascinating account. Thanks.
Great question. As far as I could tell, it was random, but I suspect there could be more to the story.
I do remember going through stacks of Life at my grandparents' house. I am still intrigued and wonder what I liked as a child.
I can never get enough of ancient ads.