Growing up, we always had stacks of magazines everywhere. I spent countless hours in the garage reading old National Geographics, National Lampoons, SPY magazines, and other random things here and there. I recently saw two of the most memorable covers from my childhood featured in a web list of Most Controversial Magazine Covers Ever. I remember being struck by the Ali cover of Esquire when it was published. I was too young to understand the nuances of Ali’s refusal to be drafted for the war in Vietnam, but I vaguely understood that something he’d done had made him into some sort of pariah or martyr.

The below 1973 National Lampoon cover just shocked me. I couldn’t believe at the time that grown-ups somewhere had such license and senses of humor that they’d stage the ‘dog at gunpoint’ thing. Whatever they were selling, I was buying. Good times.