Cosmopolitan (magazine) as a "bland" and boring magazine by critics. Cosmopolitan's circulation continued to decline for another decade until Helen Gurley Brown became chief editor in 1965. Helen Gurley Brown changed the entire trajectory of the magazine during her time as editor. Brown remodeled and re-invented it as a magazine for modern single career women. Completely transforming the old bland Cosmopolitan magazine into a racy, contentious and well known, successful magazine. As the editor for 32 years, Brown spent this time using the magazine as an outlet to erase stigma around unmarried women not only having sex, but also enjoying it. Known
William Gurley his interest and the business was renamed W.& L.E. Gurley. The firm still exists today as Gurley Precision Instruments. William Gurley was involved in several local organizations. For many years he was connected with the YMCA, and in 1851 was elected its president. He served as alderman from 1860 to 1864, and as fire commissioner he helped to improve fire prevention systems in major cities. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Rensselaer Co., 1st D.) in 1867. In 1868, he was appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury to serve on a commission with Prof. Joseph