The first issue of the iconic American magazine Sports Illustrated came out on Aug. 16, 1954. On the cover was a photo taken at a Major League Baseball game in Milwaukee. The crowd at Milwaukee County Stadium is the main feature of the photo, taken by Mark Kauffman; at the bottom, frozen in time in the action shot, are umpire Augie Donateli, New York Giants catcher Wes Westrum, and Milwaukee Braves slugger Eddie Mathews. The bat that Mathews was holding seems to shimmer, illustrating the freeze-frame nature of the photo.

The magazine does not contain a feature article on Mathews or even the Milwaukee Braves. Many people have speculated that the editors chose the photo because of its impact.

The inaugural issue did include an article on Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes, a feat he achieved just a few months before the magazine appeared. Another feature in the first issue covered the world of baseball trading cards.

Time Inc. founder Henry Luce (left) came up with the idea for Sports Illustrated, which was the first weekly magazine dedicated solely to sports. In the memo from the publisher, H.H.H. Phillips, Jr., in that very first issue were these words: "In Sports Illustrated, today's miraculous cameras will have a weekly field day in a field that is peculiarly theirs, to capture the instants of dramatic excitement, of human and animal grace, of vitory and defeat, that are what sport is made of."

Through the years, the magazine focused on sports popular with very large numbers of people, such as baseball, basketball, boxing, fishing, football, golf, hockey, and tennis. However, many articles in the magazine focused on other sports, such as horse racing, yachting, big game hunting, and even cooking and fashion.

In 1954, subscribers numbered 350,000. Just six years later, that number was 1 million. The highest number of subscribers, nearly 3.5 million, came in the late 1980s.

It became popular to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Among individuals, asketball great Michael Jordan (right) has appeared on the cover 50 times, the most ever. Second, with 40, is boxer Muhammad Ali. The current active leader is National Basketball Association star LeBron James, with 25, followed closely by golfer Tiger Woods, who has appeared on 24 covers.

In terms of team appearances on the cover, the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers hold the record, with 67. Major League Baseball's New York Yankees are second, with 65. Another major league baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, have appeared 49 times, for third place.

The magazine in 1964 introduced the swimsuit issue, including a photo of a swimsuit-clad woman on the cover and other similar photos inside. The magazine still publishes this issue annually.

Readers can still get Sports Illustrated every month (a switch made in 2020). The magazine has a companion website that is very popular as well.