Billboard: A History of Hitmakers, Charts, and Decoding those Tiny Symbols

Long before it crowned chart-toppers, Billboard covered circuses, county fairs and the men who pasted posters on city walls. The magazine that became the scorekeeper of American music has a history as colorful as the hits it tracks, and its charts come with their own secret language.

From Billposting to the Hit Parade

Billboard launched in Cincinnati in 1894, founded by William H. Donaldson and James H. Hennegan. As its name suggests, it began as a trade paper for the billposting and outdoor advertising business, then expanded to cover traveling shows, vaudeville and amusements. As records and radio took off in the early 20th century, the magazine shifted its focus toward music, and its first music popularity chart appeared in 1940, topped by Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again." By the 1950s it was publishing separate charts for store sales, radio play and jukebox spins.

The Birth of the Hot 100

On August 4, 1958, Billboard combined those measurements into one ranking: the Hot 100. Its very first No. 1 was Ricky Nelson's "Poor Little Fool." The formula has kept evolving ever since. Jukebox data was dropped in the late 1950s, computerized sales tracking arrived in 1991, digital downloads joined in 2005, and streaming was added in 2012. Today, the Hot 100 blends sales, radio airplay and streaming, while the Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums.

Decoding Those Tiny Symbols

Those little marks next to each chart position tell a story of their own:

• The bullet: a highlighted circle around a song's position means it's gaining momentum. That's where the famous phrase "number one with a bullet" comes from: a No. 1 hit that's still growing.
• Arrows or movement numbers: show how far a song climbed or fell from the previous week.
• New and Re-entry labels: flag songs appearing on the chart for the first time, or returning after dropping off.

In the chart's earliest days, Billboard used stars instead of bullets to mark its "Star Performer" of the week.

More Than a Magazine

Today, Billboard is a full media brand, with news, reviews, interviews, industry coverage and its own televised music awards. But its heart is still the weekly charts that settle arguments, launch careers and turn record collectors into amateur historians.

What's the first song you remember watching climb the charts? Tell us in the comments below.