Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition: a retrospective

Sports Illustrated, the magazine regarded as the ticket to supermodel stardom, revealed on Monday that Kate Upton is the covergirl of it's 49th Swimsuit Edition.

The Swimsuit Edition was invented in 1964 by former editor Andre Laguerre, as a way to strike up interest in the magazine during the slow winter months. For many of the women who've graced the cover it's been their first step on the way to stardom, and the photo shoots have taken readers to locations around the world, from the island of Cozumel to Zambia.

Join MSN as we profile some of Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition’s most famous faces.