Hugh Hefner was born in Chicago in 1926 to conservative Protestant parents. He attended public schools in Chicago and was an average student despite his high IQ. After serving in the army during World War II, he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. In 1951, he started working for Esquire magazine but left to start his own magazine, Playboy, which featured Marilyn Monroe on its first cover and grew rapidly. Hefner lived a lavish lifestyle depicted in Playboy and owned mansions in Los Angeles and Chicago where he hosted celebrities. He continued leading Playboy Enterprises until his death in 2017 at age 91.

1. Hugh Hefner

3. born in Chicago on April 9, 1926 the elder son of conservative Protestant parents direct descendent of distinguished Massachusetts Puritan patriarchs

4. attended Sayre Elementary School and Steinmetz High on the West Side of Chicago was no more than an average student, despite a genius IQ (152).

5. In 1944 Hef joined the Army serving as an infantry clerk and drawing cartoons for various Army newspapers In 1946 he entered the University of Illinois and earned his bachelor’s degree in 2 and one-half of the years by doubling up on classes At the same time he was drawing cartoons for the campus magazine and introduced a new feature called Coed of the Month

6. In 1951 he started working for Esquire and when Esquire moved its offices to New York, his request for a five-dollar raise was denied and he decided to stay behind and start a magazine of his own . In1952 , he became convinced there was a market for a sophisticated men's magazine that would reflect the views of the post-war generation and that he was the man to start it.

7. The first issue of Playboy magazine, which featured the now-famous calendar photo of Marilyn Monroe , was produced on a kitchen table in his South Side apartment.

8. Playboy grew at a p henomenal rat e .

9. At the start of the new decade, Hefner began to live out the "Good Life" depicted in the pages of his publication. He hosted a popular syndicated television show called Playboy's Penthouse

10. In 1971, he bought a residence in Los Angeles with the acquisition of a five-and-one-half acre estate in Holmby Hills known thereafter as Playboy Mansion West , where he was able to more closely supervise Playboy Enterprises' increasing interests in television and film production.

11. In 1980, Hefner championed the reconstruction of the Hollywood sign , then in serious disrepair, and was honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his efforts. In saving the sign, Hefner referred to it as "Hollywood's Eiffel Tower."

12. In 1985 he suffered a stroke that changed the direction of his life. He referred to it at the time as "a stroke of luck."

13. the Mansion has once again become a Mecca for entertainment industry superstars including a new wave of young motion picture and television celebrities, rock groups and more.

16. In 2006, Hef celebrated his 80th birthday with weekend long festivities at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. The celebration included the annual "Casablanca Night" movie screening and buffet dinner, a glamorous pajama and lingerie party with Playboy Playmates , celebrities and nearly 1,000 partygoers, and an appearance at the Long Beach Grand Prix in support of Playboy Racing where thousands of race fans joined together to sing "Happy Birthday" to Hef. He continued the festivities in Europe as he and his girlfriends embarked on a two-week, eight-city tour visiting London, Cannes, Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Rome, Pompeii and Venice.

20. The reality television series The Girls Next Door depicted the lives of Madison, Wilkinson and Marquardt at the Playboy Mansion. In October 2008, all three girls made the choice to leave the mansion.

31. T h a n k s f o r y o u r a t t e n t i o n 