6 Times the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Mattered

The first swimsuit issue did more than cure the Winter blues and make the bikini, invented in the '40s, an acceptable form of beachwear. Editor Jule Campbell purposefully searched for "California" women who were "bigger and healthier." Jule, who headed up the issue until 1996, also helped usher in the "supermodel era" by running the models' names with their pictures. The move made the likes of Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley more than anonymous pretty faces . . . and bodies.