Farrah Fawcett was the 1970s poster queen. Obviously, the red bathing suit poster (top left) is the most iconic, but all of Farrah's posters are memorable Farrah Fawcett became a cultural icon during her reign as a '70s poster queen, beginning with her famous 1976 red bathing suit pose published by Pro Arts.

Late actress Farrah Fawcett had a fruitful career of over thirty decades in the entertainment industry, but she's mostly remembered for two things: her role on "Charlie's Angels" and her iconic red swimsuit poster, the best-selling poster in history.

At $3 a pop, The Poster sold six million copies its first year. All told, more than 12 million copies were sold worldwide. So profound was its impact, a copy of The Poster, along with Fawcett’s original red swimsuit, is in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Released in 1976, Farrah Fawcett's famous pinup sold 12 million copies, became the most popular poster in history and landed in the Smithsonian thanks largely to great timing, a killer smile and a red swimsuit. Here's the story.