With a printing
of 10,000 copies, the first issue of Guideposts was a four-page
leaflet containing a single story entitled "I Believe in Prayer" by
World War II flying ace Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. The demand for
subscriptions increased quickly. But in 1947
a fire destroyed the circulation files and the magazine almost
disappeared. Fortunately, a report on the fire by the famous
radio broadcaster Lowell Thomas, and an article in Reader’s
Digest, set off a groundswell of support. Soon Guideposts
had more subscribers than before the fire. Today’s Guideposts
has companion editions in large print, Braille, and cassette
for the visually impaired.