Short answers, pulled from the story.
Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason. Wenner borrowed $7,500 from family and the parents of his soon-to-be wife, Jane Schindelheim, to cover setup costs. The first issue was released on the 9th of November, 1967.
John Lennon appeared on the first cover of Rolling Stone, photographed in costume wearing a Brodie helmet for the film How I Won the War. The cover price was 25 cents and the issue included a lead article on the Monterey International Pop Festival.
Jann Wenner explained in the first issue that the name drew on Muddy Waters's song, the Rolling Stones band name derived from that song, and Bob Dylan's single "Like a Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone's David Browne confirmed in a 2017 anniversary piece that the title was intended as a nod to all three sources.
On the 19th of November, 2014, Rolling Stone published "A Rape on Campus" about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia. Investigations revealed major errors and the story was retracted on the 5th of April, 2015. A jury awarded UVA associate dean Nicole Eramo $3 million in a defamation verdict on the 4th of November, 2016, and Rolling Stone settled a separate $25 million lawsuit from Phi Kappa Psi fraternity for $1.65 million.
Penske Media Corporation has owned Rolling Stone in full since the 31st of January, 2019, when it acquired the remaining 49 percent stake from BandLab Technologies. Penske had first purchased 51 percent from Wenner Media in December 2017.
Hunter S. Thompson first published his most famous work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in Rolling Stone in 1971 and remained a contributing editor until his death in 2005. He wrote for the magazine's political section throughout the 1970s, helping establish Rolling Stone's reputation for gonzo political journalism.