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If you're like most of our readers, you can't wait to tear into Cosmo every month, eager for tips on everything from having great sex to scoring your dream job. Oh, let's just say it: Cosmo's your bible! But have you ever wondered the way it all began?

The story of how a '60s babe named Helen Gurley Brown (you've probably heard of her) transformed an antiquated general-interest mag called Cosmopolitan into the must-read for young, sexy single chicks is pretty damn amazing — and so is the effect her creation has had on the world. Over the years, Cosmo has not only become the number-one-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, but it has also served as an agent for social change, encouraging women everywhere to go after what they want (whether it be in the boardroom or the bedroom).

By Jennifer Benjamin