The debut of the “Dear Abby” column written by Abigail Van Buren is printed in the newspaper

Have concerns about your cheating boyfriend of girlfriend? Ask Abby. Wonder why your dog won’t listen to you? Ask Abby. Want to lose 30lbs in 2 days? Ask Abby. Dear Abby was the popular advice column of the 50’s and 60’s that addressed every topic introduced by its audience.

On this day, January 9th, in 1956, Dear Abby, written by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigail Van Buren, debuts in the newspaper. Dear Abby is known to provide comforting advice to unanimous problem seekers. The idea to remain unidentified appealed to broad audiences and encouraged them to expose their deep, sacred secrets.

Dear Abby aimed to answer all questions, but with so many issues to address, only a few were published daily. Unfortunately, many desperate people’s problems were unsolved, and it is said that most people lost hope in their situations.