100 Years of Better Homes & Gardens

This year BHG is turning 100! We've been helping families make their homes and lives better since our first issue in 1922. (Fun fact: We were originally called Fruit Garden and Home.) Those early magazines dealt almost exclusively with garden topics, but as the years—and our name and logo—progressed, we've been busy adding to our encyclopedia of home helpers. We built a first-of-its-kind "taste-testing kitchen" in 1928, by the 1970s, we had over 7 million subscribers. We erected a half-acre test garden in the middle of Des Moines, Iowa, in 1998, and in all the years between filled our pages with ideas for elevating everyday living.

We're so proud of the friendship and trust we've built with our readers over the years. And we're excited to explore what's next in the print and digital pages of Better Homes & Gardens, all to make our homes, meals, and gardens, well, better.

To kick off our anniversary year, we're highlighting the food that has graced our pages and found life in our cookbook, as well as the last 100 years of home design. BHG has been a staple in homes around the globe for the last century, and we're celebrating this major milestone throughout the year.

Since our very first issue, Better Homes & Gardens has reported on how our homes function. As an iconic brand, we've successfully captured the last century of home design trends—trends that first emerged in the 1920s are still roaring in 2022. Take a walk down memory lane with some of the most iconic home design trends through the last century that may bring back memories of your childhood home—and even your grandmother's home.

With so many issues in circulation and a best-selling cookbook, we were able to start a few trends over the years. Ask any BH&G foodie and they'll humbly tell you: 1950s Food editor Myrna Johnston made the Tossed Salad "happen." And that backyard BBQ you're looking forward to this summer? You're welcome!

But not everything we did was a hit. We've had our share of misses over the years. In fact, we dug through the Red Plaid cookbook for recipes that made us wonder how they would hold up today. Watch our Then & Now video series to see how some questionable vintage food ideas look in today's kitchens:

• Our Best Birthday Cake Recipes
• The Best Ever Chocolate Cake
• You'll Never Find Cinnamon Rolls Better than These
• The Best Cookie Recipes of All Time

Edit: Lili Zarghami, Katlyn Moncada, Katy Kiick-Condon, Stephen Orr
Production: Casey Oto
Digital Creative Director: Julia Bohan-Upadhyay
Sr. Digital Art Director: Alice Morgan
Motion Graphics Designer: Ricardo Boncy