World's most controversial magazine covers of all time

When it comes to magazines , the cover catches all our attention. These glossy covers attract maximum number of eyeballs but at the same time generate an unhealthy controversy in the society. While some controversial covers in past have worked like a medicine for the publication and shot up their popularity, others brought immense embarrassment for the magazine. Here is a list that uniquely mentions some of the most controversial magazine covers of all time. 1. Time Magazine, January 2, 1939: Hitler as Man of the Year This January 2, 1939 cover featured detailed illustration of Hitler. Time Magazine still regrets the decision to publish Hitler's life as a cover story and the magazine had to defend its choice throughout history.2. Vanity Fair, August 1991: Demi Moore, Pregnant and Nude The famous celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz shot this cover. When released, the cover was described as disgraceful and disgusting. Some book stores refused to sell the issue whereas some sold it, but with a brown paper covering the “nasty” image.3. Rolling Stone, January 22, 1981: John Lennon and Yoko Ono This photo was taken a couple of hours before John Lennon was shot to death outside of his apartment building in New York City. The cover has been conferred with the title of being the most popular magazine cover of the past 40 years.4. The New Yorker, March 29, 1976: Steinberg Map of New York The cover became even more controversial when Steinberg sued Columbia Pictures over their movie poster for “Moscow on the Hudson”. The poster seems closely inspired by Steinberg's cover down to the placement of the title. Steinberg won the case in the court.5. Esquire, May 1969: The Drowning of Andy Warhol This cover page combined two split shots of a soup can and Warhol. In the first ten years of the creative thinker and Art Director, George Lois' presence in the company, circulation of the magazine shot up from 500,000 to 2 million. 6. Playboy, October 1971: First Playboy African-American Woman This cover brought a lot of controversy with it. October 1971 cover of famous Playboy magazine was the first Playboy cover that featured an African-American woman. The model on the cover was Darine Stern and the photographer who captured this photograph was Richard Fegley.7. Esquire, April 1968: The Passion of Ali This cover, featuring Muhammad Ali was created to exemplify his martyrdom to his cause. Muhammad Ali refused to work with the US military due to his religious beliefs. Subsequently, he was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title.8. National Lampoon, January 1973: If You Don't Buy This MagazineThough this cover did nothing more than bringing a smile on readers' faces, it became famous for its violent overtones. The cover page was shot by Ronald G. Harris.9. Life, November 26, 1965: War in Vietnam Paul Schutzers was the man who had to give his life for capturing arresting image of a VietCong prisoner during the Vietnam War. Extensive war photography and news coverage led to turn the American public against the Vietnam War. 10. Time Magazine, April 8, 1966: Is God Dead? One of the most controversial covers of all time, Time Magazines' April 8, 1966 cover received criticism from all segments of the society. The cover story, ‘Is God Dead' concerned the “death of god movement” that had taken place during 1960′s. The cover and article enraged readers all across the globe.