The first magazine was basically a theology argument

A closer look

Before magazines existed to tell you which swimsuit to buy, they were just walls of angry German opinions. The world's first true magazine, published in 1663 in Germany, was titled 'Edifying Monthly Discussions.' It didn't have horoscopes or glossy photos; it was literally just a theologian named Johann Rist publishing deeply dry philosophical essays and theology arguments. It was the 17th-century equivalent of a man ranting in a dense Reddit thread.