Fun facts:
As everybody knows, John Benjamin Dancer was the Father of Microphotography.
This technology also came in handy with wartime carrier pigeons.
Kodak promised that its version of microfilm will last for 500 years without decay.
And since all of you have always wondered what the difference was between microfiche and microfilm, here’s the answer!
During my back half of high school and first year of college in the late-80s, I worked at a strip-mall store called Budget Tapes and Records in Bismarck and Fargo, North Dakota. It didn’t pay much, but was definitely one of the coolest jobs around. When I started, CDs were still sold in “long boxes” and beta videos and vinyl were on the way out. And yes, we also sold tobacco accessories for use with tobacco and only tobacco. Tobacco.
So imagine my surprise when I was flipping through an old Rolling Stone magazine and found a full page ad for an earlier version of Budget Tapes and Records. Full page. Rolling Stone magazine. Daaaaaaamn. Also, it appears they were way cooler back then.
Note: Even though the Eighties-era Bismarck and Fargo stores weren’t as cool as the 1971 stores, they were still much cooler than the Williston, North Dakota store. Yeesh.
Another note: Hey! My old boss (and his brother) made it into Billboard magazine back in the day!
Whew. Lots of memories coming back from this gig, few of which I’d share here. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
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Just an awesome photo take long before Photoshop was a thing.
I dug a bit looking for a Google image search match to see if I could find the photographer’s name, but alas. If I ever find that out, I’ll let you know.
Fun facts: Midol was originally advertised as a headache, neuralgia and toothache remedy, then later as a cure for hiccups. After that, it headed south.
An anti-spasmodic (antispasmodic these days) drug suppress muscle spasms. Hello, IBS!
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Fun facts: Lucky Strike started out at chewing tobacco.
The Lucky Strike logo was redesigned in 1940 by Raymond Loewy on a $50,000 bet he couldn’t make it better than the old one.
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He’s totally going to accidentally kick that other bottle over… 62 years ago.
Fun facts: Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote. (1869)
A higher-end fringed suede jacket could set you back over $1,600.
Copywriters really liked ellipses back in those days.
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This isn’t the Norton security folks; it’s the Norton blanket folks. Linus would be confused.
Fun fact: Believe it or not, blankets are named after Thomas Blanket.
Or… Maybe Thomas Blanket was named after blankets.
Then again… Sigh. History is hard.
I think the most precious bit in the body copy is “…what machines do automatically, operators cannot do wrong.” LOL.
Fun facts: The first mechanical cash register was named “Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier”. The year was 1879. The reason? Skimming bartenders.
If you ever saw “No Sale” pop up on an old cash register, it means the till drawer was opened without a transaction taking place.
National Cash Register is now known as NCR and was once part of AT&T.
Some White Motor history at the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. It’s not every day that a company makes the switch from sewing machines to trucks.
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Just imagine not having to fill the ad with a stock photo of smiling children.
Fun facts: What did people use before toothpaste? Charred eggshells were just one of the lovely options.
The Giant Armadillo has more teeth than any other land mammal — up to 100!
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Avon calling.
Fun facts: The first Avon Representative was Mrs. P.F.E. Albee in 1886.
There were one million Avon Representatives by 1978.
On a personal note, there are two perfumes that have seduced me at pivotal moments in my life. Avon’s Odyssey is one of them.
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