Description: Established by Big Jo himself in the late 1950s, Big Jo’s was a Santa Monica neighborhood stable for decades. A true hole in the wall, Jo's served classic charbroiled burgers with fresh ingredients and friendly service at an affordable price. If you wanted gourmet toppings or some fancy aioli sauce, you had to look elsewhere, as Big Jo's served up basic burgers. They came with lettuce and tomato, but you could add cheese, chili, mushrooms, pastrami, or make it a double burger. Coupled with an order of their signature crinkle cut fries, and you had a meal fit for a king that didn't break the bank. This mom and pops burger joint was the last of its kind in Santa Monica, but stayed true to itself all the way until its closing in 2022.
Description: Scott Bonnar (c. April 1893 – 1961) was a South Australian engineer, founder of a company which manufactured a range of lawn mowers and other implements, including the infamous "Model 45" reel, or cylinder, mower. Scott Bonnar Ltd. was formed in 1926 in Adelaide in South Australia. Bonnar's mowers would go on to be the most popular choice for homeowners and commercial maintenance crews throughout Australia. In a testament to the quality of their products, many Scott Bonnar mowers are still in service today, decades after the company ceased operations.
Description: If you've ever seen a classic post-war cartoon that came out of Hollywood, then odds are you have seen Cel-Vinyl Colors in action. Produced by the Cartoon Colour Company of Culver City, California, Cel-Vinyl was a popular brand of paints used in the backgrounds of traditional animation. With almost 650 premixed, consistent colors, Cel-Vinyl was the go-to product of all the major animation studios and was utilized in countless cartoons and animated features. In addition to their professional background paints, Cartoon Colour also stocked all the tools of the trade, as well as a wide range of animation supplies.
Description: The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the subsidiary was being closed by its parent corporation. Consolidated became famous during the 1920s and 1930s for its line of flying boats. The most successful of the Consolidated patrol boats was the PBY Catalina, which was produced throughout World War II and used extensively by the Allies. Equally, famous was the B-24 Liberator, a heavy bomber which, like the Catalina, saw action in both the Pacific and European theaters. In 1943, Consolidated merged with Vultee Aircraft to form Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft.
Description: The first Hi-Rev Speed Equipment store opened up in Marshfield, Wisconsin in 1968. It was a traditional muscle car era speed shop with everything from mag wheels and side pipes to high-rise manifolds and four barrel carburetors. Hi-Rev also got into car audio and stocked an extensive selection of 8-track tapes. Additional stores opened in Eau Claire and Schofield, at which point they began using the name Hi-Rev Speed Shops. Hi-Rev claimed to be Wisconsin's largest speed shop, and who are we to argue with that?
Description: Hurricanes is an animated television series produced in the UK, where it aired between 1993 and ended in 1997. The series focused on the fictional Hurricanes football team headed by the heiress of the teams' legacy, Amanda Carey, and their coach, Jock Stone. During the series, the Hurricanes would either be battling a renegade football club, the Gorgons, managed by Stavros Garkos, for pitch supremacy, or having wild, unpredictable adventures off the field in exotic world touring locations. In the United States, only the first season was shown, which had been aired in weekly first-run syndication.
Description: Akers Motor Lines was a trucking company founded in 1933 by Bill Akers in Gastonia, North Carolina, that capitalized on the textile industry's freight movement from the South to the North. The company operated a major terminal in Gastonia and a key northern terminal in Chester, Pennsylvania. While no longer in business, Akers is remembered as one of two major trucking firms to come out of the region's textile industry, alongside Carolina Freight Carriers. The company's name is tied to other parts of local history, such as the former Akers Shopping Center, and is still routinely seen represented on collectibles, model railroading accessories, and die-cast models.
Description: The Eleganza was a popular Class A recreational vehicle (RV) produced between 1973 and 1978. It was known for its futuristic, aerodynamic design, front-wheel-drive chassis borrowed from the Toronado, and luxurious features for its time. The Eleganza II was an updated version, produced in 23 and 26-foot lengths and available with either a 455 or 403 cubic inch V8 engine. Over 12,000 Eleganzas were produced and during the 70s, Dale's Luxury Coaches of Council Bluffs, Iowa was one of the many dealers offering the luxurious motorhome of the future.
Description: Plexcom, Inc. was founded in 1985 in Simi Valley, California as a developer of hardware and software for network systems. Their big claim to fame came about a decade later when they released their QuantumNet platform that was an instant hit with those managing large corporate networked computer environments. In what was one of the first major thin client networks, QuantumNet allowed companies to dump individual PCs in favor of server based computing, leaving only a display and input devices on individual desks. This design is reminiscent of the 'network wizardry' tees given to IT teams at companies who implemented QuantumNet and is so very, very 90s.
Description: The Smut Peddler is a 1965 sexploitation film about a vicious, deviant publisher of a sex magazine delights in seducing and dumping young women as a newspaper columnist tries to bring him down. The movie made a splash when it was originally promoted, but once people actually saw it, word got out that It's an awful film. Like unwatchably terrible. Of course, being truly awful doesn't remove the title from cinema history, and this one is unique as all 35mm copies of the film are said to have been destroyed. The trailer exists on film, and it's 1000x better than the actual film. It's said to be in a pretty good shape and living in the Finnish Film Archives.
Description: Anything you get from the source is going to be fresher and better, right? Raw honey is honey that is taken directly from the hive and packaged with minimal processing, meaning it has not been heated or filtered in a way that removes its natural pollen and enzymes. It may appear cloudy and may crystallize over time, which is a natural sign of unadulterated honey, and a visual difference between processed honey and true raw honey.
Description: Arnold Ligon began his trucking career in 1935 at age 17, taking a job hauling freight out of his hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky. The industrious young Ligon bought his first truck at 18, founding Ligon Specialized Hauler, Inc. By 1946, his fleet had grown to 26 trucks, and true to their name, Ligon specialized in hauling stuff that didn't fit in standard van trailers. From flatbeds and lowboys to pole trailers and heavy haul rigs, Ligon Specialized Hauler had the equipment to move the load at hand. The company hauled White House Christmas trees and even moved rocket components for the space program. Ligon was sold in 1982, at which time it was the 17th largest truckload freight hauler in America.
Description: With the ruble untradable on international markets—and the Soviets hoarding their limited foreign currency reserves for essentials, not fizzy drinks, American soft drink producers had to get creative. In 1972, the first American soft drink entered the Soviet market in a barter deal, trading its concentrated syrup (to be bottled locally) for exclusive U.S. distribution rights to Russian vodka and Soviet and Eastern Bloc wines. The agreement not only opened a new market for the American manufacturer, but it blocked competitors from the Soviet market until 1985, while creating a legion of consumers known as the "Pepski Generation."
Description: Blue Moon Silk Stockings was a brand of hosiery introduced in 1925 by the Largman-Gray Company of New York. Despite the brand's rather short life of just four years, its advertising and packaging featured an illustration by Gustaf Tenggren of a woman on a crescent moon, that made them quite memorable. The slogan for the stockings was "longer wear with every pair," and while we can't verify if they were any better or worse than other brands, Blue Moon certainly had an unforgettable look that remains an iconic representation of 1920s glamour to this very day.
Description: Founded in 1954, Carroll Fulmer Logistics was a family-owned trucking company that grew from hauling produce from fields to local markets in South Carolina and Georgia to become a major logistics provider. With a fleet of around 500 trucks and over 1,700 trailers, Carroll Fulmer was a key player in the nationwide supply chain for numerous large companies before folding in 2025.
Description: The B-24 Liberator is a heavy bomber manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego, California during WWII. At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing that gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the B-17 Flying Fortress. While aircrews tended to prefer the B-17, general staff favored the B-24 and procured it in huge numbers for a variety of roles. At approximately 18,500 units, it holds the record as the world's most produced bomber.
Description: Big Pete's House of Munch was a fictional restaurant located in the equally fictional Quahog, Rhode Island restaurant owned and operated by Peter Griffin and his family in the 2007 episode, "No Meals on Wheels." The restaurant is at first is a complete failure; however, Joe promises to bring his friends. Peter is at first excited because he believes it will become a hang-out for police officers, only to find that Joe is actually bringing in fellow paraplegics. Hi jinks ensue.
Description: The Saugatuck Pop Festival of 1969 was a two-day event featuring performances by numerous well known musicians at Pottawattamie Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan on July 4th and 5th. Although the festival drew 30,000 attendees and was considered a success musically, the turnout led to an agreement not to host it the following year due to the strain on the small town's resources. It was part of the Saugatuck area's history as a destination for jazz and rock fans, which also included other festivals in the '50s and '60s.
Description: In literature, film, and other such arts, an unreliable narrator is a narrator who cannot be trusted, one whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in a wide range from children to mature characters. While unreliable narrators are almost by definition first-person narrators, arguments have been made for the existence of unreliable second- and third-person narrators, especially within the context of film and television, but sometimes also in literature. William Riggan analyzed in a 1981 study four discernible types of unreliable narrators, coming up with the following four classifications: The Pícaro, the Clown, the Madman, and the Naïf.
Description: By the mid-1920s, utilities had succeeded in bringing electricity to virtually all major cities and towns in the U.S.; however, rural areas remained chronically underserved. Convinced that the best way to win over frugal small business owners, skeptical farmers, and rural dwellers, was to give electricity a more human face, utility companies came up with Reddy Kilowatt. This cartoon character served as a corporate spokesman for electricity generation in the U.S. for seven decades. He is a stick figure whose body, limbs, and hair are made of stylized lightning-bolts and whose bulbous head has a light bulb for a nose and wall outlets for ears, and proudly announced that he was an "electrical servant."
Description: The early '70s saw a big push to become more ecologically conscious. From the founding of Earth Day to companies making their products more sustainable, the green movement was on. Even breakfast cereals got in on the action, and one such example is the Sugar Bear Ecology Club. Launched in 1971, cereal boxes included tips about recycling and taking care of the environment, and kids could mail away for a certificate to make their membership official.
Description: Mr. Bones Puzzle Candy was the brainchild of a man named Vero Ricci, who, after designing those little plastic garbage cans filled with candy, he turned his attention to something a little more morbid, a plastic coffin. Produced in a variety of colors, each box contained an assortment of candy pieces that were shaped like various human bones. These pieces interlocked like a jigsaw puzzle, and if you had all fifteen, you could create Mr. Bones, the namesake of this confection, but not every coffin contained all of the pieces. The candy was pretty forgettable - just your typical dextrose-based, fruit-flavored pressed powder - so nobody was buying Mr. Bones because they loved the taste or anything - it was all about that little coffin.
Description: Magic Harbor was an amusement park located just south of Myrtle Beach, in Surfside Beach, South Carolina. The park originally opened as PirateLand in 1964. Despite the name, the park featured a western theme with pirate tie-ins wherever they could fit them in. The park included antique cars, an 1800s locomotive, and other amusement rides. PirateLand closed in 1972 and reopened in June 1975 as Magic Harbor. In 1980, the park was renamed The Lighthouse and given a new Christian theme. In 1982, a UK company squired the park and reverted the name back to Magic Harbor. The park was given a new British theme, including an authentic English pub, but this iteration ended up being the last, as Magic Harbor closed its doors for good in 1993.
Description: If you're spooked when you see a black cat, it’s probably from medieval folklore that continues to shroud the reputation of these beautiful felines. Black cats have long been associated with witches and witchcraft, and during the Middle Ages, black cats became equated with black magic. Roaming nocturnal black cats were thought to be witches in disguise, witches' pets, or animal-shaped demons sent by witches to spy on humans. Of course, none of this is true, but many places in the world still feel otherwise. This cute Halloween kitten isn't helping his cause by wearing a witches hat, but we'll give him a pass as shows off his adorable jack-o'-lantern.
Description: Sunbeam Bread was originally produced by Davidson Baking Company, which was founded in 1914 by Eugene F. Davidson, with the products being sold as Davidson’s Ideal Bread. The Sunbeam label was launched in 1942 and introduced America to their adorable mascot, Little Miss Sunbeam, who frequently said "let's be friends" in advertising and promotional materials. Little Miss Sunbeam was such a hit with consumers and became so well recognized that the Davidson Baking Company was often referred to as the Sunbeam Bakery, though no such entity ever existed.
Description: Ramen, a beloved dish worldwide, has a unique and fascinating history in South Korea. While ramen may have originated in Japan, Korean ramen got its start in the '60s and been developing its own distinct identity and flavor profile ever since. The love for spicy food is deeply rooted in Korean cuisine, and in the mid '80s, the introduction of bold, spicy flavors set Korean ramen apart from others that were historically quite mild. This lead Korean ramen to become a cultural phenomenon worldwide, solidifying the association of Korean ramen with fiery flavors.
Description: Craig Johnson was a renowned professional skateboarder, and a key figure in the Texas skateboarding scene that inspired many with his unique heavy hitter style. He was known for his association with Dallas based Zorlac Skateboards, which release three pro models with Johnson. This design is a reimagination of one of the more iconic decks from 1986, which features a sacred heart skull motif with a creepy death phoenix rising from the flames.
Description: Midwest Scientific Instruments, Inc., often shortened to Midwest Scientific, was an American computer company founded in Olathe, Kansas, in the early 1970s. Charles C. Childress, a doctorate of biochemistry, founded the company as a way to market his data acquisition and processing interfaces based on programmable calculators for medical, scientific, and industrial uses. After an after-market floppy drive system for the SWTPC 6800 proved a hot-seller for Midwest in 1976, the company began products for general-purpose computers like the SWTPC. In 1977, they released their own microcomputer, the MSI 6800—a clone of the SWTPC 6800. Their sales tripled that year, and the company thrived well into the '80s before shutting down.
Description: Ramen, a beloved dish worldwide, has a unique and fascinating history in South Korea. While ramen may have originated in Japan, Korean ramen got its start in the '60s and been developing its own distinct identity and flavor profile ever since. The love for spicy food is deeply rooted in Korean cuisine, and in the mid '80s, the introduction of bold, spicy flavors set Korean ramen apart from others that were historically quite mild. This lead Korean ramen to become a cultural phenomenon worldwide, solidifying the association of Korean ramen with fiery flavors.
Description: The hubris of man refers to the excessive pride, overconfidence, and arrogance that makes people believe they can exceed the natural limits of humanity, often leading to their own downfall. Derived from Greek mythology, this concept highlights how attempts to defy divine or natural order through extreme self-importance and ambition—like trying to become equal to the gods—can result in great shame and negative consequences. Here we have a man showing how powerful his new atom bomb is to a frog, who is clearly unimpressed.
Description: Necco Wafers date back to 1847 when Oliver Chase, an English immigrant, invented a lozenge cutting machine with which he produced candy wafers. At the time of the Civil War, these were called "hub wafers" and were carried by Union soldiers. In 1901, Chase and Company merged with two other companies to incorporate the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO). By 1912, the wafers were being advertised as "Necco Wafers," a name they carried ever since. Each roll contained eight flavors: lemon (yellow), lime (green), orange (orange), clove (purple), cinnamon (white), wintergreen (pink), licorice (black), and chocolate (brown). From a 1951 Halloween ad, this design shows three kids in costumes feeding a giant jack-o'-lantern Necco Wafers.
