--- description: The first issue of LIFE is dated Nov. 23, 1936. With one image from each year it was published, see how the magazine covered history. title: LIFE at 80: How a Magazine Covers History, in 37 Images image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2fa3c8b2321445f2/6988aea7656a3f3ef0bcddfb/161115-life-magazine-1936.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [photography](/tag/photography/) ## photography Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # LIFE Magazine Launched 80 Years Ago. Here's How It Covered History by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Nov 22, 2016 2:00 PM CUT  The first cover of LIFE magazine, Nov. 11, 1936. The first cover of LIFE magazine, Nov. 11, 1936.LIFE Magazine by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](/author/liz-ronk/) Nov 22, 2016 2:00 PM CUT The story that made the cover of the [very first issue of LIFE Magazine](http://time.com/3764198/lifes-first-ever-cover-story-building-the-fort-peck-dam-1936/ "undefined")—published on Nov. 23, 1936—was, the magazine’s editors admitted, perhaps surprising. The photo of Fort Peck Dam in Montana, by [Margaret Bourke-White](http://time.com/4355162/margaret-bourke-white-cameras/ "undefined"), was a stark and graphic image, accompanying a more human story about the people whose lives were changed by the New Deal project. It was also, of course, a news story, a photographic representation of the impact of one of the 20th century’s defining political programs. In the roughly [36 years](http://time.com/3503080/the-best-of-life-37-years-in-pictures/ "undefined") that followed, until 1972 when LIFE stopped publishing weekly, the magazine hewed close to that often elusive balance between the news of the week and timeless photography. Though the magazine may be best remembered for covers featuring [celebrities](http://time.com/3880752/marilyn-monroe-life-magazine-covers-photos/ "undefined") or [curiosities](http://time.com/3821160/life-magazine-animal-covers/ "undefined"), its distinctive red logo also appeared alongside images of war, politics and scientific advancements. Here, with one image for each year from 1936 to 1972, is a look back at how LIFE’s covers presented some of the biggest news of the 20th century. From World War II to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, from the space age to the assassination of President Kennedy, from the Beatles to Muhammad Ali—it was all part of LIFE.  The first cover of LIFE magazine, Nov. 11, 1936. LIFE Magazine  May 31, 1937 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 28, 1938 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Sept. 18, 1939 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Apr. 29, 1940 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Dec. 22, 1941 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Jan. 12, 1942 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Aug. 9, 1943 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Aug. 14, 1944 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Apr. 23, 1945 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 11, 1946 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Feb. 10, 1947 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Jan. 5, 1948 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Oct. 10, 1949 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  July 31, 1950 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  June 18, 1951 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Feb. 18, 1952 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 16, 1953 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 8, 1954 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Feb. 14, 1955 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Aug. 27, 1956 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Nov. 18, 1957 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  May 26, 1958 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Jan. 19, 1959 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Nov. 21, 1960 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 3, 1961 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  June 22, 1962 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Dec. 6, 1963 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Aug. 28, 1964 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Nov. 26, 1965 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Aug. 12, 1966 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  June 16, 1967 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Apr. 12, 1968 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Dec. 19, 1969 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  May 15, 1970 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Mar. 19, 1971 cover of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  The last weekly cover of LIFE magazine, Dec. 29, 1972. 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