History of The Atlantic in Timeline

The Atlantic is a magazine and multi-platform publisher headquartered in Washington, D.C. It publishes articles covering a wide range of topics, including politics, international relations, business, economics, culture, arts, technology, and science. Its content is diverse, appealing to a broad audience interested in current affairs and various aspects of modern society.

1908: Magazine Purchase

In 1908, The Atlantic magazine was purchased by its editor at the time, Ellery Sedgwick, and remained in Boston.

1917: Founding of Atlantic Monthly Press

In 1917, The Atlantic Monthly founded the Atlantic Monthly Press, which for many years was operated in partnership with Little, Brown and Company.

July 1927: Publication of "Fifty Grand"

In July 1927, The Atlantic published Ernest Hemingway's short story "Fifty Grand".

1936: Publication of Drums Along the Mohawk

In 1936, the Atlantic Monthly Press published the book Drums Along the Mohawk.

July 1945: Publication of "As We May Think"

In July 1945, The Atlantic published Vannevar Bush's essay "As We May Think", which inspired the development of the modern workstation and hypertext technology.

August 1963: Publication of "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

In August 1963, at the height of the civil rights movement, The Atlantic published Martin Luther King Jr.'s defense of civil disobedience, "Letter from Birmingham Jail", under the headline "The Negro Is Your Brother".

1964: Endorsement of Lyndon B. Johnson

In 1964, Edward Weeks, on behalf of The Atlantic's editorial board, endorsed Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson and rebuked Republican Barry Goldwater's candidacy.

1980: Acquisition by Mortimer Zuckerman

In 1980, The Atlantic magazine was acquired by Mortimer Zuckerman, property magnate and founder of Boston Properties, who became its chairman.

1982: Publication of Blue Highways

In 1982, the Atlantic Monthly Press published the book Blue Highways.

1986: Sale of Atlantic Monthly Press

In 1986, the Atlantic Monthly Press was sold and is now an imprint of Grove Atlantic.

September 27, 1999: Ownership Transfer

On September 27, 1999, Mortimer Zuckerman transferred ownership of The Atlantic magazine to David G. Bradley, owner of the National Journal Group.

1999: Ruth Shalit Barrett Leaves The New Republic

In 1999, Ruth Shalit Barrett left the staff of The New Republic amid allegations of plagiarism, an event later referenced in a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic.

1999: Purchase by David G. Bradley

In 1999, The Atlantic magazine was purchased by businessman David G. Bradley. He reshaped it into a general editorial magazine aimed at national readers and thought leaders.

2001: Reduced Publication Schedule

In 2001, The Atlantic magazine reduced its publication schedule, producing 11 issues instead of the usual monthly publication.

2003: Further Reduction in Publication Schedule

Since 2003, The Atlantic magazine has further reduced its publication schedule to 10 issues per year.

February 2004: Name Change on Cover

In February 2004, The Atlantic dropped "Monthly" from the cover of the magazine.

April 2005: Move to Washington, D.C. Announced

In April 2005, the publishers of The Atlantic announced that the editorial offices would be moved from Boston to Washington, D.C., to join the company's advertising and circulation divisions.

2005: Launch of Aspen Ideas Festival

In 2005, The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute launched the Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual conference in Aspen, Colorado.

2005: National Magazine Award for Fiction

In 2005, The Atlantic magazine won a National Magazine Award for fiction.

June 2006: Recognition by Chicago Tribune

In June 2006, the Chicago Tribune named The Atlantic one of the top ten English-language magazines, lauding its cover stories and regular features.

2006: Key Hires

In 2006, James Bennet was hired as editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, and Jeffrey Goldberg and Andrew Sullivan were hired as writers.

2007: Official Name Change

In 2007, the magazine officially changed its name, dropping the "Monthly" from its title.

January 22, 2008: Removal of Subscriber Wall

On January 22, 2008, TheAtlantic.com dropped its subscriber wall, allowing users to freely browse its site and archives.

2008: Jay Lauf Joins The Atlantic

In 2008, Jay Lauf joined The Atlantic organization as publisher and vice-president.

2009: Launch of The Atlantic Wire

In 2009, The Atlantic launched The Atlantic Wire as a stand-alone news aggregator site.

August 2011: Creation of Video Channel

In August 2011, The Atlantic created its video channel, which later evolved into Atlantic Studios, an in-house production studio.

September 2011: Launch of CityLab

In September 2011, The Atlantic launched CityLab, a separate website exploring issues facing global cities, co-founded by Richard Florida.

December 2011: Web Traffic Growth

According to a Mashable profile in December 2011, The Atlantic's web properties surpassed 11 million unique visitors per month, up 2500% since removing the paywall in 2008.

December 2011: Launch of TheAtlanticCities.com

In 2011, The Atlantic launched TheAtlanticCities.com, a stand-alone website devoted to global cities and trends.

December 2011: Expansion to Visual Storytelling

In December 2011, TheAtlantic.com expanded to visual storytelling with the addition of the "In Focus" photo blog, curated by Alan Taylor.

December 2011: Launch of Health Channel

In December 2011, TheAtlantic.com launched a new Health Channel, covering topics related to food, mind, body, sex, family, and public health.

2012: Publication of "Why Women Still Can't Have It All"

In 2012, The Atlantic published Anne Marie Slaughter's influential cover story "Why Women Still Can't Have It All".

January 14, 2013: Publication and Removal of Scientology "Sponsor Content"

On January 14, 2013, The Atlantic published "sponsor content" promoting David Miscavige, leader of the Church of Scientology, which was widely criticized and subsequently removed, with The Atlantic issuing an apology.

November 2013: Rebranding of The Atlantic Wire

In November 2013, The Atlantic Wire rebranded itself as The Wire.

2014: Rebranding of CityLab

In 2014, CityLab was rebranded as CityLab.com, covering transportation, environment, equity, life, and design.

2014: Publication of "A Case for Reparations"

In 2014, The Atlantic published Ta-Nehisi Coates's influential cover story "A Case for Reparations".

2014: Bennet and Cohn Become Co-Presidents

In early 2014, James Bennet and Bob Cohn became co-presidents of The Atlantic.

2015: Launch of CityLab Latino

In 2015, CityLab and Univision launched CityLab Latino, featuring original journalism in Spanish.

2015: Publication of "Obama Doctrine"

In 2015, Jeffrey Goldberg's "Obama Doctrine" was published in The Atlantic, prompting widespread discussion and responses from world leaders.

January 2016: Redesign and Expansion of Politics Section

In January 2016, The Atlantic redesigned and expanded its politics section in conjunction with the 2016 U.S. presidential race.

March 2016: Bob Cohn Becomes Sole President

In March 2016, Bob Cohn became the sole president of The Atlantic after Bennet's departure.

October 2016: Jeffrey Goldberg Named Editor-in-Chief

In October 2016, Jeffrey Goldberg was named editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

November 2016: Increased Criticism of Donald Trump

After Donald Trump's victory in the November 2016 election, The Atlantic became a strong critic of him.

2016: Magazine of the Year

In 2016, The Atlantic was named Magazine of the Year by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

2016: Endorsement of Hillary Clinton

In 2016, The Atlantic's editorial board endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for president, rebuking Republican Donald Trump's candidacy.

2016: Jeffrey Goldberg Named Editor-in-Chief

Jeffrey Goldberg has served as editor-in-chief of The Atlantic since 2016.

July 28, 2017: Laurene Powell Jobs Acquires Majority Ownership

On July 28, 2017, Laurene Powell Jobs acquired majority ownership of The Atlantic through her Emerson Collective organization, with Peter Lattman named as vice chairman.

2017: Jay Lauf Role in 2017

As of 2017, Jay Lauf was the publisher and president of Quartz.

2017: Sale to Emerson Collective

In 2017, David G. Bradley sold a majority interest in The Atlantic publication to Laurene Powell Jobs's Emerson Collective.

February 2018: Publication of "When the Presses Stop"

In February 2018, The Atlantic published Molly Ball's article "When the Presses Stop," which later led to a legal battle.

2018: Inactivity of CityLab Latino

As of 2018, the CityLab Latino site has not been updated.

March 2019: Call for Impeachment of Donald Trump

In March 2019, The Atlantic published a cover article by Yoni Appelbaum calling for the impeachment of Donald Trump.

May 2019: Adrienne LaFrance Becomes Executive Editor

In May 2019, Adrienne LaFrance became the executive editor of The Atlantic.

September 2019: Introduction of Digital Subscription Model

In September 2019, TheAtlantic.com introduced a digital subscription model, limiting unsubscribed readers to five free articles per month.

December 2019: Sale of CityLab to Bloomberg Media

In December 2019, Atlantic Media sold CityLab to Bloomberg Media, resulting in staff layoffs.

2019: Expose on Bryan Singer

In 2019, The Atlantic published an expose on the allegations against movie director Bryan Singer, which significantly damaged his career. The piece, initially intended for Esquire, was moved to The Atlantic due to concerns about the other magazine's hesitancy to publish it.

June 2020: Legal Action in Japan

In June 2020, The Atlantic faced legal action in Japan over Molly Ball's article "When the Presses Stop" regarding defamation and privacy invasion.

June 2020: Release of White Noise Documentary

In June 2020, The Atlantic released its first full-length documentary, White Noise, about three alt-right activists.

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June 18, 2020: Relaunch of CityLab by Bloomberg

On June 18, 2020, Bloomberg Media relaunched CityLab with new branding and integration with other Bloomberg verticals.

September 2020: Report on Trump's Comments About Soldiers

In September 2020, The Atlantic reported that Trump referred to dead American soldiers as "losers", citing anonymous sources; Trump denied the story.

November 1, 2020: Article Retraction

On November 1, 2020, The Atlantic retracted the article "The Mad, Mad World of Niche Sports Among Ivy League–Obsessed Parents" due to concerns about the author's credibility, following an inquiry by The Washington Post.

December 2020: Nicholas Thompson Named CEO

In December 2020, Nicholas Thompson, former Wired editor-in-chief, was named CEO of The Atlantic.

2020: Endorsement of Joe Biden

In 2020, The Atlantic endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and urged readers to oppose Trump's re-election bid.

January 7, 2022: Defamation Lawsuit Filed

On January 7, 2022, Ruth Shalit Barrett sued The Atlantic for defamation, claiming the magazine misrepresented her background and damaged her career.

2022: Notable Writers and Contributors

As of 2022, James Fallows, Jeffrey Goldberg, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Caitlin Flanagan, Jonathan Rauch, and others were writers and frequent contributors to The Atlantic print magazine.

2022: Pulitzer Prizes for Feature Writing

In 2022, writers for The Atlantic won Pulitzer Prizes for feature writing.

August 2, 2023: Jeffrey Goldberg Named Moderator of Washington Week

On August 2, 2023, Jeffrey Goldberg was named the moderator of the PBS news program, Washington Week.

August 11, 2023: First Episode of Washington Week with The Atlantic

On August 11, 2023, the first episode of Washington Week with The Atlantic was broadcast, with Jeffrey Goldberg as moderator.

2023: Award for General Excellence

In 2023, The Atlantic won the award for general excellence by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

January 2024: Settlement Reached in Japan Lawsuit

In January 2024, The Atlantic reached a settlement in the legal action brought against them in Japan, which led to numerous removals, corrections, and clarifications of the original article published in 2018.

February 5, 2024: Severed Ties with Yascha Mounk

On February 5, 2024, The Atlantic cut ties with contributor Yascha Mounk after he was accused of rape, an allegation he denied.

2024: Leadership Roles

As of 2024, Adrienne LaFrance is the executive editor, Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor-in-chief, and Nicholas Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic.

2024: Announcement of Return to Monthly Publication

In 2024, The Atlantic announced that it will resume publishing monthly issues in 2025.

2024: Financial Success and Subscriber Milestone

In 2024, The Atlantic crossed one million subscribers and became profitable, after financial losses in previous years.

2024: Award for General Excellence

In 2024, The Atlantic won the award for general excellence by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

2024: Endorsement of Kamala Harris

In October 2024, The Atlantic endorsed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in her presidential bid against Trump in the 2024 election.

2024: Special Issue Warning About Potential Second Trump Term

In early 2024, The Atlantic published a special 24-article issue titled "If Trump Wins," warning about a potential second term for Trump being worse than his first.

2025: Inclusion in Military Chat

In 2025, The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally included in a group chat by national-security leaders in the Donald Trump administration, where they were organizing and strategizing upcoming military strikes on the Houthis.