Playboy

October 1, 1953

Playboy magazine is founded by Hugh Hefner. Its premiere issue hit the stands in December, featuring Marilyn Monroe from a photo shoot she did in the nude in 1949 when she was still a struggling actress. The first issue was produced in Hefner’s kitchen with $8,000 he raised from friends, including $1,000 from his mother. The first issue of over 53,000 copies sold out in weeks.