Electric typewriter history from Edison to IBM’s Selectric — how a humming office machine with a golf ball print head came to dominate American workplaces.
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Drive-in movie theaters were everywhere in the 1950s and ’60s — but how did they rise, and what finally brought them down? Here’s the full story.
Piggly Wiggly invented the self-service grocery store in 1916. See rare photos inside the original Memphis location just two years after it opened.
Full service gas stations were once the American standard — attendants, windshields, oil checks and all. Here’s the history of how they rose, ruled and faded.
Who’s behind those Foster Grants? See the popular vintage sunglasses of the stars in the 1960s & 70s
Foster Grants sunglasses built one of the most iconic ad campaigns of the ’60s & ’70s, starring Mia Farrow, Raquel Welch & more.
Whether new or classic, millions still love vintage Corelle dishes from the Corning company (also behind Pyrex & Corningware). See some of the dish patterns available during the ’70s & ’80s!
New Coke lasted just 77 days before America revolted. Here’s the real story behind the most infamous product launch of the 1980s.
1930s shoes for women mixed thrift, European trends and practical design. See how a tough decade shaped iconic footwear.
Explore antique cash registers, how they were invented, and why these mechanical marvels helped reshape American retail.
The Pet Rock concept traces the 1975 fad that made millions — and now includes its 2026 comeback sparked by Taylor Swift’s Opalite video.
If you were alive in the 1970s & 1980s, you know that vintage 7-Eleven stores were the corner grocery — as well as a place for kids to hang out. Here are dozens of old photos so you can take a look back!
The basic concept hasn’t changed much in 100 years, but vintage Erector Sets like these are still popular, still inspiring creativity, and still being used to build everything from mini roller coasters to motorized robots.
Do you remember Shrinky Dinks? They were DIY crafts that could be made by coloring on a plastic sheet, cutting out the various shapes, and then shrinking them down using heat.
Separate beds in the 1950s weren’t just for movies — real couples, doctors, and censors all had opinions on how married people should sleep.
These silent movie stunts from the 1920s were real, dangerous, and wildly risky — long before special effects made things safe and easy.
Despite a spectacularly expensive launch, the 1950s Ford Edsel automobile was one of the greatest business failures of all time. Take a look back at these vintage cars here!
Cracker Jack became a pop culture icon with its caramel popcorn, peanuts and surprise prizes. See how this vintage snack won America’s heart.
Step back in time with vintage McDonald’s photos, menus and ads from the 1950s through the 1990s, capturing decades of classic fast food history.
See how the cash register changed 1950s and 60s grocery stores and retailers with automatic change-making machines that sped up checkout and cut errors.
Step inside a 40s beauty salon and see how women stayed stylish during WWII with perms, waves, manicures and more in our vintage photo story.
To most American women in the 1940s, lipstick was a form of clothing – without it, they felt undressed. So how is lipstick made, anyhow? See some makeup laboratories and factories from the forties!
Who would’ve thought humble roots, herbs, and bark could spin such an effervescent tale? The history of root beer is both intriguing and surprising – take a look!
Have you ever wondered where products like Formula 409, 7-Up, WD-40 and Preparation H got those famous vintage brand names? Find out here.
Take a look back this collection of old office cubicles and company layouts from the 1970s to see what it was like to work in America’s corporate 9-to5 world a few decades ago.
Years ago, kids loved weekends because they could catch up on their favorite Saturday morning cartoons & TV shows. Here’s a look back!
The history of Levi’s jeans shows that the power of a really good idea – like super-durable clothing that people like to wear – can make for a business that stays strong for more than 160 years.
Who remembers Peter Coddle, Shoot the Hat, and Snap? They were antique board games that provided hours of entertainment before radio and TV. Find out more here!
The original vintage Slinky toy was an all-metal spring that thrilled kids by ‘walking’ down stairs. Invented by accident back in the forties, it’s one of the classic toys that has stood the test of time.
Now best known for their iconic appearance in the Back to the Future movies, DeLorean cars had an unusual origin story – and ended in a spectacular flameout.
When you look back at how people talked about and used computers in the 1960s, it’s easy to get a feel for how exciting the technological advances were at the time. It was a whole new wild frontier.
What were vintage 1970s supermarkets like – and how do they compare to today’s grocery store options? Take a look back several decades to see!
Chi-Chi’s may have closed its US restaurants, but it’s far from forgotten. Reminisce with these old menus and get you some of that yummy Chi Chi’s salsa – it’s still on the market!
It’s not just today’s kids – the metric system has actually been ignored by people for more than two hundred years. But why hasn’t it caught on?!
See the quirky history of vintage Taco Bell — from a tiny taco stand to a fast-food empire — and see vintage photos, ads and articles from the past!
Take a look back at vintage Pizza Hut restaurants, and some of the popular foods they served over the years – plus find out the history of the chain!
Old paper welders were small metal presses that essentially embossed two or three pieces of paper together – no staples or paperclips needed. Here’s a look back!
To help you remember the heyday of the Xerox, check out some vintage copy machines here – and be grateful that email and scanners have made running a business nowadays so much simpler.
Laugh In got people talking about television again. Its rapid-fire gags, many of them dreadful, were repeated by millions every Tuesday morning.
Was Red Lobster restaurant where you got your first taste of seafood? The first Red Lobster restaurant was in Lakeland, Florida, and opened its doors
Take a look back at vintage Wal-Mart history, from a modest 5 & 10 store to a global retail behemoth, through innovations and key moments that redefined shopping and turned into today’s massive Walmart chain.
This 1950s office furniture checked all the boxes of business desk design of the era: modernist styles, contemporary materials, muted colors, and no-nonsense simplicity.
What’s amazing about KFC history? There really was a Colonel Sanders, he truly had a secret recipe, and he actually started Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants.
Love’s Baby Soft hit the market in the mid-’70s with a creepy ad campaign with lines like ‘that irresistible, clean-baby smell, grown-up enough to be sexy’ and ‘innocence is sexier than you think.’ So how did America respond?
Let’s explore the fates of some of the most iconic 80s restaurants, charting their journey from their heyday to the present. Which ones have survived?
Step back in time to 1980s grocery stores! From barcode scanners to in-house brands, they paved the way for major retail transformation. See inside these 80s supermarkets and what foods they might be selling.
Mood rings were incredibly popular pieces of jewelry in the mid-1970s – a colorful fad. So did the rings actually work? What do the mood ring colors mean? Find out here!
Wendy’s has been a top player on the American fast food scene since not long after their first restaurant opened back in 1969. Established in
Sambo’s Restaurants were popular in the ’60s and ’70s. But as much as people loved the diners, the company name was always a problem. Here’s why.
The Raggedy Ann doll, in her humble glory, has stood the test of time. Let’s take a look back at her history!
Hang Ten clothing made a splash in the 1960s, 1970s and 80s, serving up a healthy dose of California beach culture to a country —
It’s been a remarkable journey from that first Bob’s Big Boy hamburger stand to the national restaurant franchise it still is today. Here’s a look at the restaurant chain over the years!
When it comes to the fascinating saga of American fast food, the tale of Roy Rogers Restaurant chain is a true standout. Check out these old photos from decades past.
What were really old cars like around 1900? Here, take a look back at some of the earliest automobiles that were on the market at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.
You didn’t go into a Fotomat Store – you stopped by it. The corner store was for toothpaste and funny books, and the Fotomat Store was for film & developing. Take a look back!
Look back at Hawaii in the 60s. The huge tourist boom of the era helped thousands fall in love with the state – but also forever changed the islands’ landscape.
For those of us who lived any portion of our lives when the Yellow Pages phone book was an essential community resource — could we
First flying in the 1960s, the famous Boeing 747 airplane was not only bigger and more powerful than any other plane, but was a major technological marvel. See the jets inside and out, and how they looked during construction!
The man behind the famous Hell Gate Brewery, George Ehret, wasn’t just a business success — he was a success as a human. Find out more about his story!
Looking back at 7-Up history, you can see that it’s a testament to the lemon-lime soft drink’s popularity that the brand could weather so many stumbling blocks – not the least of which included being introduced right before the Great Depression.
In the world of modern technology, it’s easy to take the humble typewriter completely for granted. But have you ever wondered who invented the typewriter – and how it introduced a new role for women in the workforce?
Before it billed itself as the ‘World’s Most Experienced Airline,’ Pan Am started off a little more humbly – but already making the bold moves that would make the airline so legendary it became synonymous with international travel in the 20th century.
From the Pantheon to skyscrapers: Modern concrete rises through the ages Concrete is one of the most versatile construction and design products available — one
The Kodak Disc camera was was lightweight, foolproof (with auto-exposure and built-in flash), affordable, and used a brand new kind of film cartridge… but it was only sold for six years.
What was a classic Craftsman house like – and what made it unique? Find out more here about this vintage architectural style and its founder, Gustav Stickley – plus see more than 70 old examples of this iconic design.
The Tootsie Roll has a sweet legacy that started way back at the end of the 1800s, and continues to this day. From the early days, the unique chocolaty chewy candy was a huge favorite with kids. Find out more about them here!
Anyone obsessed with vintage Strawberry Shortcake probably dreamed of these pieces of sugary sweet delight featuring their favorite gal – dolls and toys, of course, but also bedding, wallpaper, roller skates and more.
The Picturephone, an electronic moving picture device that debuted in the late 60s, let you video chat long before the internet, and way before Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime et al.
The White House in the early 1900s showed off President Teddy Roosevelt’s renovations, updating it for the 20th century. Here’s a look back at the mansion, inside and out, in high-resolution photos, plus detailed descriptions of the rooms.
The 70s were a weird decade for fashion, and even men’s vintage suits from this era ranged from staid & conservative to wild & crazy. Check out our collection!
Remember that AT&T jingle, ‘Reach out and touch someone’? Hear it again & find out how it came to be
If you remember the old ‘Reach out – reach out and touch someone’ long distance ad jingle, you probably just sang those words in your head! Look back at some of these vintage TV commercials, and find out how the ditty came together here!
Take a look back to see what food shopping used to be like in these photos of vintage 1960s supermarkets – scenes of shoppers, checkouts, storefronts & more!
Vintage book clubs have been around since before the Depression – and while the titles have changed, the concept behind the membership isthe same. Here’s a look back!
Remember getting drinks in vintage Dixie Cups? While many of us recall them from childhood because of their cute designs, they weren’t invented simply for convenience.
Here’s a look back at some vintage 1980s Nike shoes – from the early ‘just plain sneakers’ to the later mega-successes of classic Nike Air Jordans and the well-known ‘Just do it’ slogan.
Before the Pepsi company introduced lemon-lime Slice (starting in 1984), Storm (1998) and Sierra Mist (2000), they hit the market with Teem soda — a fizzy lemon-lime soft drink that seemed much the same, but with a different name.
In the 1960s, Douglas was one of the biggest airplane manufacturers in America. Their DC-9, which first flew in 1965, was built to service both large and small airports, setting it apart from other planes of the era.
The demand for ’60s computer programmers was huge as business, industry, science, education and government all raced to reap the benefits of new technology. Here’s a look!
Check out some of the vintage Cessna propeller planes you could buy back in the fifties, sixties and seventies. They were popular for business use, but were also owned by celebrities and hobbyists.
Here are some of the vintage Beechcraft propeller airplanes some people were buying back in the sixties and seventies. As these ads reflect, these small planes were most commonly used by corporate executives,
The woman on the iconic ‘We can do it!’ posters from the 1940s encouraged women to join the WWII workforce – and they did. Here, see 46 real-life Rosie the Riveters who built bombers and transport planes.
Find out about the famous B-17 Flying Fortress planes from WWII – how they were invented, built, tested and used – and what happened to them after the war was finally over.
First entering service with Eastern Air Lines in 1959, the Lockheed L-188 Electra was a leap forward in airline technology when it appeared. But the planes had a fatal flaw.
When the old Victrola record players were first introduced, those turntables were some cutting-edge tech. Here’s a look at the history of the famous Victor Talking Machines!
This article bids adieu to the man whose name countless millions of people have worn: the one and only Levi Strauss, creator of Levi’s riveted denim blue jeans. Find out more about the man here.
It’s not often you can discover long-lost information about somewhere like New York City’s PJ Clarke’s saloon/restaurant. How much more could there be left to learn about a piece of living history?
Vintage Wrangler jeans made their mark on America by partnering with rodeo professionals, and playing up their western cowboy image. Here’s a look back at the clothing styles they offered in the ’50s!
American Airlines was one of the first companies to offer passenger flights in the US. The industry’s biggest success came after WWII. Here’s a look at the history of the airline’s first decades!
Samuel Colt, the millionaire inventor of the famous Colt revolver, died when he was just 47 years old. Here’s a look back at the original obituary for one of the wealthiest men in America before the Civil War.
Even back when telephones had rotary dials, advances were made in these old office telephone systems that worked like mini-switchboards. See some here!
What’s the history of Necco Wafers? Here’s a look back at how a company made the candy such a big hit that it would be on shelves for the next 100 years.
The handheld Atari Lynx was a one-pound, portable video game system that (for the time) featured detailed graphics, sharp color and sound effects.
Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips fast food restaurants were based on the English tradition of serving fried fish together with crispy potatoes. Take a look back!
George Eastman: The man behind Kodak (1854-1932) George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak, and often called “the father of photography” was many things — a
Here’s a classic timesaving, money-saving dictating machine – the vintage Dictaphone Time-Master – plus other old dictation devices.
What was the Canon Cat? They called it a Work Processor. It could help write and edit, communicate and calculate. It would even dial a phone.
On April 1, 1996 – April Fool’s Day – the Taco Bell fast food chain announced they’d bought the iconic Liberty Bell, and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell.
What’s the history of Q-Tips – the little cotton swabs found all around the world? This big brand had a little baby-sized beginning. (Also find out their terrible former brand name.)
Talk show host Johnny Carson created a line of suits in the seventies – mostly all polyester, and they came in dozens of different colors and styles.
