Description: Scratch Acid were a noise rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1982. The band only released three records during their short, five-year run – the Scratch Acid EP, Just Keep Eating LP, and the Berserker EP. The band split up in 1987, but are regarded as highly influential by numerous musicians, and for making some of the best noise rock of all time.
Description: Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcycles racing on a specially designed and constructed dirt track consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. The first in Supercross event took place in 1974 in Houston, Texas inside the Astrodome. The easy accessibility and comfort of holding off-road motorcycle races inside of stadium venues helped supercross surpass off-road motocross as a spectator attraction in America by the late 1970s. While these events had several title sponsors over the years, the late '80s saw Camel get on board and push Supercross to previously unheard of levels of popularity.
Description: Slice was a line of fruit-flavored soft drinks introduced in 1984 to replace the 'Teem' line of sodas, with the original flavor being lemon lime. Slice's distinguishing characteristic at the time was that it contained 10% fruit juice, something no other mainstream soda could claim. The line quickly expanded to about a dozen flavors, with advertisements featuring the slogan "we got the juice." By 1988, the juice content was reduced to just 2% and packaging now said "with fruit juices" instead of "10% fruit juices." The slogan was changed to "either you got it or you don't."
Description: For decades, the self-proclaimed world-famous Winners Circle Bar was the place where locals, bikers, country folk, and tourists just passing through would to meet and mingle over a cold beer, refreshing drink. Located on historic Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona, Winner's Circle was a friendly biker bar with a motorcycle on the roof and was very much a dive with a laid back atmosphere where everyone was treated like family.
Description: Tijuana is known for a lot of things, but picnics and fried chicken aren't among them. Hell, I'm not even sure I've ever seen grass in TJ, but I digress. Back in the '60s, releasing goofy promotional vinyl records for your company was a thing, and Mark 56 Records specialized in producing these custom albums. They were usually just complication records offered as giveaways or sold on the cheap, some even included some content from the brand's mascot or spokesperson. Released in 1968, Tijuana Picnic is a prime example of one of these records, and believe it or not, it's actually a pretty rare one sought by record collectors and aficionados of weird stuff alike.
Description: Falcon Transport was founded in 1903 with a single horse and wagon in Youngstown, Ohio. The firm grew to become a major service provider for American steel mills, Detroit automakers, and hauling general commodities for some of America's largest companies. Falcon was handed down and managed through four generations of family ownership before being sold in 2017, but not two years later the company became insolvent, ending a 116-year run as one of America's trucking greats.
Description: The Blackwater 100 is a motocross race unlike any other, and one that is still known as the toughest race of all time. It started in the streets of Davis, West Virginia, and took riders out of town to wander through rivers, mountains, swamps and fields. Riders had to muscle through seemingly unending swamp sections, bottomless mudholes, squared shale hill climbs, steep rocky downhills and some of the tightest forest trails on earth. After all of that, riders hit the worst obstacle of all - the Highway 93 river crossing - before seeing the scoring barrels back in town. At this point, a nice young lady checked off his number, and then told him he’s completed only 20 miles and sent him back out to do four more laps. Sounds grueling? It was.
Description: ShaverSport was founded in 1980 by competitive cyclist Bob Shaver, with its mission being to produce high performance cycling wear. Unless you were a competitive cyclist in the '80s, odds are that you know ShaverSport as the sponsor of the cycling team in American Flyers, a 1985 American sports drama film about a bicycle race in the Rockies. ShaverSport was asked to design most of the cycling apparel used by the various teams in the film, including their own iconic blue jerseys.
Description: Wisconsin is known for a lot of things when it comes to America's agriculture, but did you know they grow more beets than any other state? That's right, Wisconsin is responsible for almost 2,800 acres of beetroot fields. Admittedly, beets aren't one of the most exciting vegetables, but back in 1979, a group in America's Dairyland decided to put together a cooking competition in Racine to promote beets. The unfortunately named 'Beet Off' was open to any and all aspiring chefs, and the only rule was that their dish make use of Wisconsin beets. Unfortunately for beet enthusiasts, the event only last three years, probably due to people making fun of the name, but that is just a guess.
Description: The '80s were an exciting time for drunks as manufacturers pioneered new ways to legally pack more 'punch' in their libations, including malt liquors, fortified wines, and ready to drink cocktails. Launched in 1986, Purple Passion was one such beverage, a unique grape punch cocktail that came out of Saint Louis, Missouri, and became a nationwide favorite. Made with grain alcohol, Purple Passion was 26 proof (13% alcohol by volume) and was available in plastic half pint and half gallon bottles. How good it was is obviously up for debate, but mentioning it to most people will tell you it reminds them of purple vomit. You know, after that one night that nearly killed them?
Description: Southwestern Bell traces its roots back to The Missouri and Kansas Telephone Company, which was founded in 1882. It was consolidated under a single management unit of the Bell System with Southwestern Telegraph and Telephone Company of Texas-Arkansas, Pioneer Telephone and Telegraph Company of Oklahoma, and The Bell Telephone Company of Missouri—on March 1, 1912. These companies comprised the "Southwestern System" of the Bell System. The latter three companies were legally merged into Missouri and Kansas Telephone Company in 1917, which was renamed Southwestern Bell. This '70s design is a replica of a tee technicians were given to promote the company's customer service.
Description: Codeine was an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in New York City. The band released two full-length albums - Frigid Stars in 1990 and The White Birch in 1994. Although the group broke up in 1994, shortly after the release of The White Birch, their subdued and melancholic style helped pioneer the then-nascent slowcore subgenre of indie rock and has without question influenced many other bands along the way.
Description: Celadon was founded in 1985 in Indianapolis, Indiana, initially, hauling automotive parts between Detroit and a Mexican automotive plant using leased tractor trailer units. The company went public via an IPO in 1994 and was listed on the stock exchange in 2009. In 2013 Celadon acquired Florida-based dry van carrier Land Span, and acquired Taylor Express, a North Carolina trucking company. These acquisitions made Celadon one of the ten largest truckload carriers in North America, at its peak, operating over 4,000 power units. In 2017, an outside auditor determined that the company's financial statements were noncompliant, putting Celadon into default, and eventually bankruptcy.
Description: Black Tiger is the fourth studio album by American hard rock/heavy metal band Yesterday & Today, released in 1982. It was recorded at Ridge Farm, in Dorking, County of Surrey, England, and was generally poorly received compared to their previous record, Earthshaker. Of note is that the classic Yesterday & Today logo made its first appearance on the cover of this album.
Description: Del Rey Industries got its start in Bill Overhulser’s Elkhart, Indiana garage in the late '50s as “Lil’ Camper” and later changed it to “Le Safari.” As Overhulser’s slide in camper designs got bigger and more outlandish, he became known as the "King of Campers." The company name changed again to "Del Rey," Spanish for “of the King,” a change befitting of Overhulser’s nickname and reputation. In the mid '60s, Del Rey introduced their Sky Lounge design that took tri-level campers to, well, a whole new level. In addition to slide in campers, Del Rey manufactured camper trailers, Class C motor homes, and custom chassis mount campers built to spec on customer provided truck chassis.
Description: While NYC based Tale-Lord began making blue jeans back in the late '60s, it wasn't until the early '80s when they had their moment. As designer jeans became increasingly popular, Tale-Lord found their edge as U.S. made jeans, something none of the big name designers could claim. Tale-Lord's Bushwick factory steadily employed about 40 people throughout the '70s, but all of a sudden found themselves growing to over 300 to meet demand for their American made denim. Good thing they made hay when the sun shined, as the end of the decade saw Tale-Lord's popularity decline as new players entered the designer denim space, but hey, it was a good run, right?
Description: Founded in 1976 as American Passage Marketing, Seattle FilmWorks (SFW) was a mail order photographic film processing company that sold re-spooled 35mm motion picture film. The film was loaded into 35mm film canisters for still photography use, and the company returned a new roll with each order. In the '80s, SFW aggressively marketed its products and services and offered two rolls of their film for US$2.00 though newspapers, magazines, and package inserts. At its peak in 1997, SFW employed approximately 800 people and processed about 20 miles of film a day in a 65,000 sq ft lab. One of SFW's innovations was digitizing customer photos and delivering them back to them via floppy disk, and later, through a website portal.
Description: Founded in 1863, Pacific Lumber Company, known as PALCO, was one of California's major logging and sawmill operations, located 28 miles south of Eureka and 244 miles north of San Francisco. Primary operations existed in massive log storage and milling operations in the historic company town of Scotia, California, located adjacent to US 101 along the Eel River, with secondary mills located in Fortuna and Carlotta. PALCO had extensive timber holdings exceeding well over 200,000 acres in the Redwood and Douglas-Fir forests of Humboldt County. Known as the Redwood Empire, for generations, PALCO was one of the largest private employers in the region, and operated the world's largest Redwood Mill ever constructed.
Description: The shift from animal-powered to mechanically powered farming increased productivity and made what had always been a challenging occupation more efficient. Innovations followed at a breakneck pace after the tractor’s basic machine elements had been engineered. Transmissions, pneumatic tires, hydraulic lifts, power take-off and three-point hitches made the tractor essential to running a farm, and changed American farming forever. While tractors may seem like just a boring piece of farm equipment, they're considerably more powerful and versatile than most people realize.
Description: If you were looking for the best Thai food in Los Angeles between 1977 and 2003, locals would tell you to check out the Poo Ping Palace. Of course, the name might have some assuming they were pulling your leg, but rest assured, it was very much a real establishment. Located in LA's Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood, the unfortunately named Poo Ping Palace was a true authentic Thai dining experience that left a big hole in the community when the owner retired and closed up shop.
Description: If you were a kid in the '80s, then you most likely begged your mom for some change to procure a piece of Super Colossal Bubble Gum from the coin op vending machines at the front of the store. In all reality, there wasn't really anything all that special about Super Colossal, other than that it was bigger than the other options. It still tasted like normal bubble gum and the flavor didn't last that long, but in the moment, it was everything.
Description: Long time drag racing fans hear the name Lee Shepherd, and most likely think of one of the best pro stock drivers to come out of the Lone Star State. Long time racers know that Lee Shepherd as well, but many recall him as the master machinist who made some of the best racing heads of all time. Shepherd's talent behind the wheel, combined with his non-confrontational personality and a mastery of bowtie engine building, earned him the admiration of race fans and fellow racers alike. Known for his quiet competence, Shepherd knew his craft well, both in the machine shop and on the track, and let his skills do the talking. While Shepherd passed away far too soon on the track in 1985, his winning legacy and high performance racing heads live on.
Description: The Black Cat is a 1981 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. Biagio Proietti co-wrote the screenplay with Fulci. The film is based loosely on the 1843 story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe, and uses the violent style that typified the Fulci's later career, following films like Don't Torture a Duckling (1972). The story focuses on a professor with the psychic ability to communicate with the dead. After realizing that he can use his powers on his cat, he leverages the animal to take vengeance upon his enemies.
Description: Heaven & Hell was a British-American heavy metal supergroup that, despite their relatively short run, holds legendary status in metal history. Formed in 2006, the band released just one studio album, but performed live extensively, resulting in two live albums before disbanding in 2010.
Description: It's hard to imagine a city like Seattle not having a Mexican restaurant, but as of the early '70s, that was still the case. Casa Lupita changed that when it opened its doors in 1971 next to the airfield, five miles south of downtown. After experiencing the best Mexican food they had ever had in a small truck stop restaurant in rural Texas, two business partners made the proprietor, Guadalupe 'Lupita' Alvarez Darst, an offer she couldn't refuse. The deal would have Lupita running a brand-new restaurant in Seattle, the use of her name, and of course, her secret family recipes. In 1982, Casa Lupita was purchased by a national steakhouse chain with plans to expand, but the chain failed to capture the magic of the original.
Description: Johnny's Speed & Chrome got their start in Buena Park, California as a traditional speed shop selling all kinds of go fast parts and dress up goodies for street racing enthusiasts. From hot rods to muscle cars, Johnny's had it all, including used parts, some of which were still warm when placed on the shelf. Towards the late '70s and throughout the '80s, they changed their focus to air cooled imports and dune buggies, giving Johnny's Speed & Chrome it's second wind. While the quality of their chrome earned them the nickname 'Johnny's Flake & Peel' locally, Johnny's was a southern California institution that still holds a special place in the hearts of many old school enthusiasts.
Description: Sensing a distinct need for high-performance street and strip tires during the Golden Era of muscle cars, Formula Tires was founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. To fill that need, Formula designed their Formula 1 Super Stock line, creating an instant hit that gave day two muscle cars the drag racing look with bold white sidewall lettering and a tight tread pattern that gave a racing slick appearance. Of course, these tires weren’t just about good looks – they were built to perform as well, and hooked up exceptionally well on the strip, but also handled great when cruising the boulevard.
Description: The Quebec Aces were founded in 1928 by Anglo-Canadian Pulp and Paper Mills, with the name Aces standing for Anglo-Canadian Employees with an s to form a plural. The Aces played until 1971, from 1930 on playing home games at the Quebec Coliseum. Most notable of the Aces' players was the legendary Jean Béliveau, who played for the Quebec Aces in 1951-52 and 1952–53.
Description: Tank is an American action comedy movie released in the United States on March 16, 1984. The plot focuses on an aging non-commissioned Army officer who comes into conflict with a corrupt sheriff in rural Georgia. When his son is imprisoned due to planted evidence, the NCO uses his vintage tank to liberate him and his imprisoned allies. He then tries to cross the state border to Tennessee after his wife has blackmailed the Governor of Tennessee into offering a proper extradition hearing to the fugitives. Hi jinks ensue, and spoiler alert, lots of cop cars get crushed along the way!
Description: Before the days of streaming services, anyone wanting to watch a movie no longer in theaters would have to visit a video rental store, and for folks in the Twin Cities area, Video Universe in Robbinsdale, Minnesota was the place to go. With a vast collection of movies and TV series in excess of 50,000 pieces of media spanning VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray formats, and everything from family flicks and horror to rare indie films and XXX features, Video Universe was the biggest video store in Minnesota, and possibly the country, operating consistently since 1985 until finally closing in 2023.
Description: Altamont Speedway was a motorsports racetrack located in northern California, west of Tracy. The track opened on July 22, 1966. Altamont contained a variety of different track configurations including a 1/2 mile oval, 1/4 mile oval, 1.1-mile road course, and a figure 8 track, and was the state's largest oval racetrack north of Los Angeles. Altamont Speedway is well known for its December 6, 1969, hosting of the notorious and ill-fated Altamont Free Concert, featuring several top rock acts. After 42 years of racing, the speedway closed in October 2008.
Description: Let's be honest here - a lot of kookie stuff came out of the '70s, and looking at some of it now, it's not really as cool as it is weird. Such is the case with this 'Mother Trucker' design, which features a funky dude with a case of foot rot getting ready to put the moves on a female passerby.
Description: Founded in 1994, 3dfx Interactive was a computer hardware company based in San Jose, California that specialized in the manufacturing of 3D graphics processing units, and later, video cards. 3dfx was a pioneer in the field of high performance video and graphics acceleration in the '90s, and by the end of 1997, the 3dfx Voodoo graphics card was by the most widely adopted 3D accelerator by both consumers and software developers alike. By the start of the new decade, several competitors were starting to catch up with the latest iteration of Voodoo cards, and 3dfx, and a series of bad decisions coupled with an increasingly volatile market led to the untimely demise of 3dfx in 2001.
