Starting from a single photograph (of Marilyn Monroe), Hugh Hefner built a huge magazine empire which ushered in a kind of revolution in the 1960s.
Though we all remember him as the founder of Playboy, there’s much more to his life that you most likely don’t know about. Here are some interesting facts about Hefner, the original Playboy!
1. He had an IQ of 152, which is considered to be that of ‘genius’ level.
But, he was always an average student.
2. Overuse of Viagra may have contributed to his hearing loss.
One of his former lovers said, “He would rather have sex than have his hearing.”
3. Hefner earned his degree in just two-and-a-half years, instead of the usual four years that it takes in the US.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
4. Apparently, the Playboy founder was a virgin before marriage.
He waited until his marriage to have sex.
5. Quite interestingly, he was an early champion of LGBTQ rights.
He stood up for gay representation back in 1955.
6. Hefner served in the US Army during World War II.
He joined the army as an infantry clerk after graduating from high school.
7. He made cartoons while serving in the US army.
As an infantry clerk, he made cartoons for military publications.
8. Hefner holds two Guinness World Records to his name.
The first one is for being the longest tenured editor-in-chief of a magazine. And the second was for being the owner of the largest personal scrapbook collection.
9. Reportedly, the Playboy editor drank 36 bottles of Pepsi in a day.
10. He once mortgaged his furniture to launch Playboy.
He made $600 from the sale and raised $8,000 from investors to launch the magazine.
11. Hefner started a special discounted subscription rate for Playboy for priests and church officials.
He wanted to encourage debate with those who criticised his magazine for its nude photos.
12. Weirdly enough, he used to keep a picture of every girl who visited his mansion.
A mansion staffer would take photographs of women visiting for the first time.
13. Hefner helped reconstruct the Hollywood sign, twice.
He purchased the “Y” in “Hollywood” with $27,000 of his own money for the restoration.
14. There’s an endangered species of rabbits named after Hefner.
He has funded a research which helped identify the animal.
15. Hefner’s first real job was as a copywriter at Esquire magazine.
He quit his writing job at Esquire when they denied him a $5 raise.
Hefner lived a long and interesting life, despite all of the perceived craziness.