Read by one in five American moms today, Good Housekeeping has been the go-to resource for generations of women looking for practical strategies and solutions, with time-saving tips, tasty recipes, stylish, affordable fashion, and beauty advice; info on relationships and parenting; and loads of information on health and wellness.

 

article continues below ↓

It all started on May 2, 1885, when Clark W. Bryan published the first edition of the magazine, describing it as "a family journal conducted in the interests of the higher life of the household."

From the first issue, consumer safety was emphasized. The magazine worked to protect its readers by initiating a campaign against the misrepresentations made by manufacturers.

In 1902, the magazine began testing products and accepting advertising for those that met its approval, and by 1905 editors had developed a "Roll of Honor for Pure Food Products."

Products listed in the honor roll that were featured in advertising were distinguished by a five-pointed star carrying the words "Pure Food Assurance--Good Housekeeping," a standard of domestic quality that eventually became the Good Housekeeping Seal.

In 1909, the magazine built the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, a building complete with a model kitchen, a domestic science laboratory and test stations where the testing of products was carried out under practical household conditions.

The Research Institute's scientists and engineers still evaluate products for the Good Housekeeping Seal and now for a Green Good Housekeeping Seal, an environmental extension of the primary seal designed to set a mainstream bar for consumers who want to live a greener lifestyle.