I loved the Spring 2023 issue’s article on bomber jackets (always wanted a real fleece-lined one when I was younger) but I noticed a picture of Alfred E. Neuman on one. I always believed that Mad magazine came out in the 1950s. Is this a typo or was he a character somewhere else before Mad?
CHAD GISH SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
In fact, the character that Mad named Alfred E. Neuman predated the magazine by years. From what we can determine, the character first appeared in ads for dentistry in the 1800s. An artist for Mad spotted the character on a postcard and the rest, as they say, is history.
BALANCED
Kudos to the author and editorial staff for, via “Balancing Act” on Turkey’s neutrality [Summer 2023], reaching beyond the
