Description: Suburban Commando is an American science fiction action comedy film released in theaters on October 4, 1991. In the film, an extraterrestrial warrior botches a part of his mission. He is subsequently instructed to take a vacation, and causes damage to his own control systems while reacting in frustration. He crash-lands on planet Earth and finds himself stranded there until his spaceship recharges itself. He rents a room from a mild-mannered architect and his family. and unintentionally gets them involved in an intergalactic conflict.
Description: Rose Records was founded by Aaron Rosenbloom in 1931 as Rose Radio. They initially sold radios, components, and offered repair services. They soon added phonographs and records, which quickly overtook radio sales, prompting Rose to stop selling radios altogether. Rose grew to become one of the largest record stores with over 100,000 titles in stock at their three-story flagship location on Wabash Avenue. At its peak, Rose Records had 35 locations throughout the Chicagoland area, but began consolidating stores until the flagship was the last one standing, and closed that in 1995.
Description: Roger Ramjet is an American Superhero animated television series that ran between 1965 and 1969. The show was known for its simple animation, frenetic pace. and frequent references to pop culture, which appealed to adults as well as children. The show focused on the titular character Roger Ramjet, a patriotic and highly moral fighter pilot who is out to save the world and is refered to as a "hero of our nation" in the theme song. Roger uses 'Proton Energy Pills' (PEP), which give him "the strength of twenty atom bombs for a period of twenty seconds." Roger routinely saves the world by defeating the various recurring criminals of the series, though he is frequently captured and requires rescue by his much savvier team members.
Description: Art Morowitz, initially involved in the adult film business in the 1960s, owned an adult theater chain in NYC during the 1970s. In 1978, a colleague handed him a box of X-rated videotapes to test-market in one theater’s lobby. Within a week, he sold five tapes at $99.50 each. Spotting the opportunity, he launched Video Shack in 1979 at 49th and Broadway—the city’s first video cassette store. Initially dominated by adult content, Morowitz soon pivoted toward mainstream titles. He expanded into upscale New York City neighborhoods and suburban shopping centers in New York and New Jersey. Video Shack thrived through the 1980s and into the 1990s, offering both sales and rentals, before being sold to a larger chain in 1995.
Description: Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books, and multiple media with adaptations including radio in 1932, a serial film, a television series, and other formats. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, a novella that retold the origin of Buck Rogers and also summarized some of his adventures, was published in 1933. A reprint of this work was included with the first edition of the novel Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future, in 1995.
Description: The Devil's Wedding Night is a 1973 Italian horror film directed by Luigi Batzella and Joe D'Amato, and starring Mark Damon, Rosalba Neri, Esmeralda Barros, Francesca Romana Davila, and Ciro Papa. The original Italian title, 'Full Moon of the Virgins,' makes a lot more sense than the English one, as it's about a sexy female vampire who uses Dracula's ring to lure beautiful virgins from a nearby village to her castle so she can bathe in their blood, and not satan or his wedding night.
Description: In 1976, major players in the music industry found themselves in the sights of feminist activist groups who were rightly outraged over marketing and advertising that they felt glorified violence against women. Their demands were initially dismissed, but as their numbers grew, their voices got louder, and a nationwide boycott began sticking record labels where it hurt; the industry was forced to pay attention and took action in response to the feminists' concerns. This wasn't just a victory for women, but a great moment in rock 'n roll history where grassroots activism forced the hand of big business and changed things for the better.
Description: During the formative years of California drag racing, Bill Hays realized that even the most modified factory clutch assemblies weren't cutting it for the rapidly increasing horsepower of drag racing engines. Working out of a two-car garage owned by a drag racer named Calvin Rice, the business of Hays Clutches was born in 1958. Hays developed a clutch that would not only handle more power with less slippage but also address safety issues, resulting in a win-win for street and strip racers alike, soon becoming the preferred clutch for those looking to 'get a grip' and win races.
Description: The Secret of Monkey Island is a 1990 point-and-click graphic adventure PC game set in a fictional version of the Caribbean during the age of pirates. The player assumes the role of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who dreams of becoming a pirate, and explores fictional islands while solving puzzles. The game was designed so that the player character's death was almost impossible, which meant that gameplay focused on exploration rather than staying alive. Critics praised the game for its humor, audiovisuals, and gameplay, with many calling it one of the greatest PC games of the era.
Description: Established in 1913 by Chicago investment banker H.M. Byllesby, Deep Rock Oil Company was a petroleum company best known for its network of service stations throughout the Midwest. Deep Rock pumped and refined its own crude in Oklahoma, producing gasoline, motor oil, and other lubricants that were sold exclusively in its branded service stations. In 1955, Kerr-McGee acquired Deep Rock, primarily to expand its service station network. Kerr-McGee continued to operate Deep Rock gas stations for several years, but eventually rebranded most of them to Kerr-McGee.
Description: The Fluid played their first show on July 5, 1985, at the German House in their native Denver, Colorado. The band blended elements of garage and punk rock with grungy riffs and raw, hook-laden rock to create a truly unique sound that really resonated with where indie rock was headed in the '80s. Between 1985 and 1993, The Fluid released four full-length albums, two EPs, and seven singles. Despite their talent, The Fluid remained relatively obscure compared to some of their contemporaries, and the band broke up shortly after their fourth and final release in 1993.
Description: The Bugaloos was a live-action American children's television series that aired on Saturday mornings from 1970 to 1972, with reruns of the show airing in daily syndication from 1978 to 1985. The show takes place in the fantasy setting of Tranquility Forest. The central characters are four British teenage musicians who've formed a pop band named the Bugaloos. The foursome is evidently fictional human-bug hybrids. While occasionally seen air-surfing on leaves, they more usually fly unaided. On the ground, the Bugaloos are sometimes seen traveling around in their "Bugaloo Buggy," a colorful dune buggy. Peace-loving and hippie-like, the Bugaloos are pursued by the feathered yet flightless Benita Bizarre, who envies the Bugaloos' ability to fly.
Description: The F-4 Phantom II is a long-range supersonic jet interceptor that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft. It entered service with the Navy in 1961 and was quickly adopted by other branches to become a major part of America's Cold War dominance. A total of 5,195 Phantoms were built from 1958 to 1981, making it the most-produced American supersonic military aircraft in history and one that set 15 world records, including speed and altitude records. The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War, first as the principal air superiority fighter, and later as a ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. The Phantom was used for reconnaissance and Wild Weasel missions in the Gulf War, and finally left combat service in 1996.
Description: The Zuni Drive-In Theatre opened on June 4, 1957, on the southeast corner of Aztec Avenue & Basilio Drive in Gallup, New Mexico. The first film to grace the new silver screen on opening night was the George Montgomery western flick, “Canyon River." While Zuni Drive-In ran all kinds of films, they began having regular 'creature feature' nights that were usually comprised of double-feature horror movies. These mid-week showings became quite popular with the teen crowd and continued well into the '70s. While we're not sure exactly when they ended, Zuni Drive-In Theatre closed down in 1985, and all that is left today are a few artifacts in an overgrown lot.
Description: Based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs, Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is set in farm country outside the town of Claremore in 1906. It tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister and frightening farmhand Jud Fry. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943, and was a box office hit that ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances. Over the years, Oklahoma! has enjoyed award-winning revivals, national tours, foreign productions, and a film adaptation. This gloriously campy design is perfect for fans of lavish musical productions, corn fields, and, of course, the 46th state.
Description: Michael Pierce Murphy founded Gateway Transportation Co. in 1896 to haul shipments by horse and carriage from the train depots and the riverbank to points throughout La Crosse, Wisconsin. Gateway grew with the city over the next 30 years, expanding its reach and buying its first truck in 1920. By 1967, the company was employing more than 4,000 people nationwide and operated the largest trucking terminal in America. When deregulation of the trucking industry hit in 1980, nobody was safe. Even the largest, most successful carriers were suddenly thrown into disarray, and Gateway was no exception. In 1981, Gateway Transportation Co. was sold off, ending an 85-year run of Wisconsin's hometown trucking company.
Description: Convoy is a 1978 American road action comedy film based on the 1975 country and western novelty song "Convoy" by C. W. McCall. The film was made when the CB radio/trucking craze was at its peak and is basically Vanishing Point with trucks, a nihilistic journey into the world of American individualism with a jaunty soundtrack. It’s not a very good film, but it is an extremely watchable one, as who doesn't like watching a bunch of guys in 18-wheelers sticking it to the man? Convoy got terrible reviews, but also did great at the box office. Hell, the film was even a hit in the Soviet Union, where people really appreciated a working-class rebellion against a corrupt government.
Description: Originally called Government Camp, Page is perched atop the Grand Canyon's Manson Mesa at an elevation of 4,300 feet above sea level and 600 feet above Lake Powell. Page was founded in 1957 as a housing community for workers and their families during the construction of Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Taking its name from what we now know as Horseshoe Bend, workers formed Horse Shoe Bend Auto Club as a way to connect with other hot rodders during their downtime. From turning wrenches and tuning cars to tearing up the highways and holding drag races in the desert, the Horse Shoe Bend Auto Club was a lot more exciting than playing cards.
Description: The old building on Chinden Boulevard was relocated to Garden City, Idaho, from New Plymouth in 1949, and The Ranch Club opened its doors the following year. It was the only bar in town with slot machines, that is, until gambling was banned in Idaho in 1953. A few years after that, the owner commissioned a giant palomino with a cowboy and lasso to stand atop the bar's sign. At some point, the cowboy was ripped off in a storm, and eventually, the horse was replaced as people kept trying to climb up and sit on the saddle. The new palomino has stood strong ever since and has remained a landmark of the rowdy cowboy bar, even during the years spent as a gay bar.
Description: "When the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars." Gnostic philosopher Samael Aun Weor declared February 4, 1962, to be the beginning of the "Age of Aquarius," heralded by the alignment of the first six planets, the Sun, the Moon, and the constellation Aquarius. Rebirth is an Aquarian-inspired design that is dripping in bohemian vibes and is a perfect fit for any star child.
Description: 'The Bubble' is a 1966 American science fiction film shot in 3-D Stereovision color. A re-cut and edited version was re-released as 'Fantastic Invasion of Planet Earth' in 1976 and then again during the '80s 3-D movie revival period. The story focuses on a pregnant woman and her husband as their plane lands in a small town due to an atmospheric disturbance. The townspeople act zombie-like, repeating the same actions, and as the couple realizes they are trapped, they work to escape as they unravel the mystery behind the eerie phenomenon surrounding this strange town.
Description: The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, named it the Shrine of Democracy and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum. The sculpture features the 60-foot-tall heads of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively chosen to represent the nation's foundation, expansion, development, and preservation. Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually to the memorial park, which covers 1,278 acres.
Description: Genial-Lucifer was a motorcycle marque produced by the Mestre & Blatgé Company between 1925 and 1956 in Paris, France. Commonly referred to simply as Lucifer and eventually marketed as such, these high-performance motorcycles ran a range of engines from 98cc to 246cc from Aubier Dunne, Chaise, MAG, Train, and Sabb. Just 20 or so models were designed and produced, and exactly how many were actually manufactured and sold is unknown, but given the rarity of these French thoroughbreds, we're guessing the numbers were pretty low compared to other marques.
Description: KOYL 98 FM went on the air April 5, 1966, in Odessa, Texas, broadcasting an easy listening format during the day and a country format at night over their 34,000-watt transmitters. In 1979, KOYL was sold and moved into a new building and where new studios and production spaces were built out. Additionally, a new transmitter between Odessa and Midland was constructed and enabled the station to upgrade to 100,000 watts. The upgraded station relaunched as KUFO in 1980 with an album-oriented rock format. The station quickly grew in popularity and became a ratings success, but despite this, the station was sold again in 1985, marking the end of KUFO.
Description: Savage Streets is an American teen vigilante exploitation film released in 1984. The action kicks off as high school senior Brenda is nearly run down by a gang known as the Scars. In retaliation, Brenda and her friends steal the gang leader's convertible and fill it with garbage before abandoning it on the street. Gang leader, Jake, exacts his revenge by getting his cohorts to brutalize her deaf-mute sister, Heather. Armed with a crossbow and a bad attitude, Brenda sets out to avenge her sister while blazing a bloody, Bronson-inspired trail across 1980s Los Angeles.
Description: While the official name of the coffee shop at 1150 Commercial Drive in Vancouver may have been Continental Billiards and Toureiro Cafe, everyone knew it simply as Joe’s Cafe. Former Portuguese bullfighter Joe Antunes and his brother Tony took over the Little Italy space in 1976 and began serving up a menu of sandwiches and pastries along with a wide range of truly amazing handcrafted coffees. By the early '80s, Joe’s Cafe became the place where East Side's artists, musicians, and counterculture crowd would meet up and enjoy what was arguably the best cappuccino in town.
Description: Released in 1978, Suckerman was a pliable vinyl toy that resembled an amphibious humanoid with a series of suction cups placed over its body. The suction cups allowed the toy to stick to surfaces you threw him at, but also to itself, allowing kids to contort and pose him. Described on print materials as a “clinging vinyl critter,” Suckerman was initially released in three colors - red, green, and glow-in-the-dark. A version in black vinyl was later released, and collectors can augment their collections with the addition of the Japanese variants. Today, Suckerman commands a high price on the secondary market, considering the toy originally sold for just under $5, but they are fairly hard to find in decent shape.
Description: Hidy and Howdy were the official mascots of the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They were anthropomorphic twin polar bears who wore western/cowboy-style outfits and appeared on signage, souvenirs, and even in real life as costumed performers greeting and mingling with visitors. After the games ended, they retired from public life, only ever reappearing once in a brief cameo appearance in the 1993 film Cool Runnings.
Description: The Incredible Melting Man is a 1977 American science fiction body horror film directed and written by William Sachs. The plot concerns an astronaut whose body begins to melt after he is exposed to radiation during a space flight to Saturn, driving him to commit murders and consume human flesh to survive. The screenplay was originally intended as a parody of horror films, but producers had comedic scenes edited out during production and new horror scenes added, thinking that a straight horror film would be more financially successful. Despite receiving largely negative reviews, the film was commercially successful, and it is believed that the shift in direction mid-production caused the end product to suffer.
Description: The Aurora Plastics Corporation introduced the A/FX (Aurora Factory Experimentals, later simply "AFX") line of slot cars, track sets, and related accessories in 1971. Aurora designed the AFX cars with an interchangeable car body, allowing users to use a single chassis for multiple models. The original '71 A/FX chassis utilized an updated version of Aurora's "Thunderjet 500" line, popular in the '60s. AFX introduced the innovative "G-Plus" in-line motor chassis in 1976. This design allowed the use of narrow, open-wheel Formula 1 style bodies, something not previously possible with traditional slot car chassis designs. AFX continued production, releasing multiple innovative products until the company was forced into receivership in 1983.
Description: Owls have long been associated with books due to their symbolic representation of wisdom, knowledge, and intuition. This association stems from ancient Greece, where the owl was a symbol of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, reason, and strategic warfare. Owls were often depicted alongside her, further solidifying their connection to intellectual pursuits. In the 1980s, owls were used as rewards to promote good reading habits in schools. From stickers and buttons to bookmarks and iron-ons, it was a pretty big deal when your teacher dropped some owl swag on your desk after completing another chapter or finishing a whole book.
Description: The Canadian National Exhibition, then known as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, first took place in 1879, largely to promote agriculture and technology in Toronto. Agriculturists, engineers, and scientists exhibited their discoveries and inventions at the CNE. At the 1968 Exhibition, 'Time Being' was a new interactive exhibit targeting the teen set. It was billed by the CNE as a gigantic mixture of sound, light, color, and excitement that was meant to "open your head a bit."
Description: Biker Lifestyle Magazine first roared onto the scene in the early '80s, offering a raw and authentic look into the world of motorcycles and those who ride them. It was known for its bold coverage of biker rallies, custom motorcycles, club culture, and the personalities that shaped the biker world. With feature articles on bike builds, biker fashion, road trips, and major events, the magazine offered readers an insider’s view of life on two wheels. Its striking visuals and no-nonsense storytelling made it a must-read for anyone connected to the lifestyle. Biker Lifestyle ran from 1981 to 1988, leaving behind a time capsule containing an authentic portrayal of '80s biker culture at its peak.
Description: Camp Almar is a classic summer camp that first opened its doors in the 1950s, although as anyone who has seen Marshmallow knows, things may not be at all how they seem. Boasting that it's the place where "hearts, bodies, and minds come to grow," Camp Almar is hiding a sinister secret, but hey, all in good time, right?
