In what year did "The National Enquirer" debut?

The National Enquirer (also commonly known as the Enquirer) is an American supermarket tabloid published by American Media Inc (AMI). Founded in 1926, the tabloid has gone through a number of changes over the years.The Enquirer openly acknowledges that it will pay sources for tips, a practice generally disapproved of by the mainstream press.

During the 1930's and 1940's, it became a voice for isolationism and pro-fascist propaganda. The paper was indicted along with Griffin under the Smith Act for sedition by a grand jury in 1942 for subverting the morale of US troops through Griffin's editorials against US military involvement in World War II. The charges were later dropped.

By 1952, the paper's circulation had fallen to 17,000 copies a week and it was purchased by Generoso Pope Jr., the son of Generoso Pope, the founder of Il Progresso, New York's Italian language daily newspaper. Pope pioneered the idea of selling magazines at supermarket checkouts. In order to get into the supermarkets, Pope completely changed the format of the paper in late 1967 by dropping all the gore and violence and instead focusing on more benign topics like celebrities, the occult and UFOs.

In 1988, The National Enquirer empire included Weekly World News, and Distribution Services, Inc. The surviving owners, including Pope's widow, Lois, sold the company to a partnership. The combined interests were controlled by a newly formed company, American Media Inc (AMI).