Cover notes: a selection of the 3,120 Observer Magazines published in the past 60 years

13 November 1964

‘When Jacqueline Kennedy moves from Washington to New York this month, it’ll be the end of a fabulous era. She’ll take the only quality the Lyndon Johnson administration hasn’t been able to outdo – the Kennedy style.’

Photograph: “The Lion” by Pearl Prades Age 11
20 February 1966

‘What is life like in North Vietnam under bombing? We show the first western pictures.’

Photograph: Romano Cagnoni
26 November 1967

‘Paul McCartney talks about the bizarre and innocent sources – like the mysticism that has lured them towards India – of some of the Beatles’ new songs.’

Photograph: Alan Aldrdige
24 March 1968

‘Despite Britain’s roads being the most congested in the world, many ordinary motorists still draw much pleasure from driving. This week we consider ways of increasing the enjoyment.’

Photograph: Duffy
12 May 1968

‘Modern etiquette: what to do if your pants fall down at a party or you are about to be sick in public. Katharine Whitehorn enlightens us.’

Photograph: Duffy
26 October 1969

‘Computers have a whole host of uses aside from guiding men to the moon. In the home and high streets their influence is increasing swiftly if silently.’

Photograph: Michael Joseph
21 February 1971

‘Ageing – how to stay younger, featuring a 55-year-old Ingrid Bergman.’

Photograph: P Pouliopoulos
16 July 1973

‘Many people have been saying that the days of the pop festival may be over in Britain.’

Photograph: Tony Huggett
5 October 1975

‘The women of Britain: this week 35- to 50-year-olds. At 39, Margaret Ghilchik is one of the very few to become a top surgeon.’

Photograph: Zoe Dominic
7 nNovember 1976

‘Grandmother knew how to keep warm on cold nights with knitted bed jackets and fluffy socks. Woolly nightwear needn’t be old fashioned and prim.’

Photograph: Patrick Hunt
30 January 1977

‘Punk rock entered the national consciousness last month with a few assorted swear words directed by the Sex Pistols at Thames Television’s Bill Grundy.’

Photograph: Don Price
19 March 1978

‘They’re calling the 23-year-old John Travolta the new Gene Kelly after his runaway success in Saturday Night Fever.’

Photograph: Douglas Kirkland
26 March 1982

‘The magazine’s 10-week series, which takes a country-by-country look at culinary traditions, begins with Italy, the birthplace of some of Europe’s best-known dishes. By Jane Grigson.’

Photograph: Derek Seagrim
27 March 1983

‘A year ago on Saturday, Argentine troops landed in the Falklands. Galtieri’s gamble failed humiliatingly, now Argentina is preparing for elections. We assess the mood of the country.’

Photograph: Carlos Carrion
14 april 1985

‘As the extended family decayed, parents bereft of the traditional network of advice and example turned to baby-care gurus. But what shaped the shapers?’

Photograph: Anne Martens
30 August 1987

Calvin Klein knickers, M&S socks, Doc Marten boots – young designer dandies don’t mind being seen in other people’s clothes.’

Photograph: Nick Briggs
13 August 1989

‘Liza Minnelli is back, triumphantly so. She has climbed out of the swamp of drink and drug dependency, and is breaking new ground with the Pet Shop Boys. We get the star treatment in Athens.’

Photograph: Blake Little
28 October 1990

‘How European are you? Do you know the French for newspaper? Can you find Brussels on a map? In an exclusive poll, Simon Hoggart reveals that we are still a bunch of Euro-dunces.’

Photograph: Tim O’Sullivan
3 December 1990

‘When Margaret Thatcher announced she was resigning as prime minister, the Conservative party chairman, Kenneth Baker, said Britain would never see her like again. But would we want to see her like again?’

Photograph: Peter Jordan
19 April 1992

‘Hindus have been gathering on the banks of the Gandaki river in northern India for the annual Sonepur festival for longer than anyone can recall. Don McCullin travelled there to photograph the month-long fair.’

Photograph: Don McCullin
22 October 1995

‘Retired cricketer, teetotal party animal, philanthropist and blushing newlywed. Imran Khan is the man who could have political power for the asking, but says he doesn’t want it’.

Photograph: Dan Burn-Forti
5 April 1998

‘He always seems so sweet – funny look, funny lyrics (no wonder teens and housewives adore him). But he says he loathes himself. So is Jarvis Cocker actually really nasty?’

Photograph: Harry Borden
4 May 2003

‘Monty Don may have taken over from Alan Titchmarsh as the nation’s gardening guru, but it’s developments in his own back yard that have kept his feet firmly on the ground. He explains why gardening is at the core of his being.’

Photograph: Howard Sooley
16 July 2006

‘When Anna Hassan took charge of Millfields primary school in Hackney, non-attendance was 50% – and that was the teachers. Twelve years on and she’s pushed the school, in which only 3 in 10 pupils have English as a first language, into a class of its own.’

Photograph: Gideon Mendel
17 December 2006

‘Whether he’s playing a brutal detective or a burnt-out assassin, Denzel Washington’s rare talent gives his characters an extra dimension.’

Photograph: Mark Seliger
23 March 2008

‘Radiohead’s front man, Thom Yorke, on his own green conversion and why he’s a climate optimist.’

Photograph: Ellis Parrinder
15 June 2008

‘Novelist Mark Haddon hears three asylum seekers’ tales of horror and heartbreak.’

Photograph: Sophia Evans
8 July 2012

‘It’s been 10 years since Mariella Frostrup began her advice column and in that time she’s faced an avalanche of your worries, concerns and dilemmas. Here she explains what she’s learned – about you and herself.’

Photograph: Dean Chalkley
8 June 2014

‘Coffee shops have taken over our high streets. Jay Rayner meets some of the major players taking the revered bean to even greater heights and asks whether they are ruining his favourite espresso.’

Photograph: Levon Biss
26 October 2014

‘Keira Knightley is happier than she has been for years. Although she is busier than ever, the paparazzi no longer hassle her and even her critics have softened. So what’s changed?’

Photograph: Nadav Kander
15 December 2019

Stormzy’s guest edit of the magazine gave him an opportunity to show how multifaceted black culture is. ‘Coming from the black community in London,’ he says, ‘means I know how we can all use a bit of help and I hope everyone in this issue soars.’

Photograph: Henry J Kamara
12 April 2020

‘Imagine being separated from the one you love. Or stuck with one you don’t, or being alone. Stories of the heart from behind quarantined walls.’

Photograph: Paul Blow
9 May 2021

‘An estimated 13 million women in the UK are living with the menopause. So why are so many enduring the turmoil of its symptoms without help and support? It’s about time that changed.’

Photograph: Anna Kiosse
24 September 2023

‘Nigel Slater began his first column with the words: ‘It has been a good week for flavour.’ Since then he has brought us thousands of delicious recipes and become a household name. He looks back over the 30 years he has been feeding – and delighting – us.’

Photograph: Kelly French
24 March 2024

‘Gillian Anderson’s uncanny portrayals of famous women have brought her legions of fans. Now, as she prepares to play Emily Maitlis in the pivotal Prince Andrew interview, she talks about acting, soft drinks and side hustles.’

Photograph: Simon Emmett