Early Americana

Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium or Lakefront Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located where the Browns current stadium now stands just off West 3rd Street. Opened in 1931, it was home primarily to MLB's Indians and the NFL's Browns, though it also...

For their final season, the Chicago Rockets of the AAFC were known as the Hornets. When the league merged with the NFL after the 1949 season, the Hornets players were divided between the Bears and, the then Chicago, Cardinals of the NFL.

The original Los Angeles Blades played in the Western Hockey League (WHL), a minor league circuit based on the West Coast,?? from 1961 to 1967. The team began as the Victoria (B.C.) Cougars in 1949. They were sold and moved to Los Angeles in...

In 1946, at an industry convention in California, Cincinnati restaurant owner Dave Frisch met Bob Wian who introduced him to a double-decker hamburger called the ???????????????????????????Big Boy.???????????????????????? Dave secured permission to adopt the concept but personalized the Big Boy by dressing it with a...

In 1946, Ohio football legend Paul Brown was named head coach of brand new football team, one that would come to bear his name. After for years in the upstart All-America Football Conference, which they dominated, Cleveland moved to the established league and won...

The Pittsburgh Ironmen were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, playing their home games at Duquesne Gardens. The team ended their only season in 1946-47 with a record of 15 & 45, finishing worst overall in the league.

The Hula Hut was a tiki bar in San Diego located in the old Gates Hotel. It opened in 1946 and closed in 1965. Frequented by military personal and aircraft workers from nearby factories, the club was raided for illegal gambling in 1947. Today...

Dutch Pantry was a restaurant chain founded in Selinsgrove, PA in 1945. It eventually grew to over 50 locations in 12 states but by the early 1980s the chain was in decline. Most were closed by the end of that decade.

Two Guys from Harrison, better known as the Two Guys department store chain, was founded in New Jersey, was founded in the late 1940s, somewhat by accident. Brothers??Herbert and Sidney Hubschman, who had operated a snack bar at the headquarters of RCA, obtained several...

The phrase "Best Location in the Nation," seems to have been coined in the 1940s. Still very popular in the 1960s and 1970s, it comes from the fact that Cleveland is 600 miles from 60% of the U.S. (and a good chunk of Canada).

Camp Washington??Chili is world famous and has been featured on The Travel Channel's Man v. Food Nation, CBS News, HGTV, and more. Founded in 1940 by Steve Andon and Fred Zannbus, it truly is an area favorite.

Ames Department Stores Inc. was a chain of discount stores??founded in 1958??in Rocky Hill, Connecticut and at its peak operated 700 stores in 20 states. Despite some success in its later years, Ames was plagued by debt and a slow decline in sales and...

The Islands was a Polynesian bar and restaurant in Phoenix that operated from 1958 through the '70s.??

Laika was the first living creature to orbit the Earth. A stray dog from the streets of Moscow, she made her historic flight on November 3, 1957 aboard Sputnik 2. Unfortunately she did not survive the mission. In 2008, a monument was erected to...

Rich's was a department store chain headquartered in Atlanta. It opened in 1867 and was absorbed by Federated Department Stores, operators of Macy's, in 2005. One of it's long-standing holiday traditions was the Pink Pig, child-sized monorail. introduced in??1956 as The Snowball Express, its...

Municipal Stadium in Kansas City opened in 1923 as??Muehlebach Field. In 1937 it became??Ruppert Stadium, before changing its name again in 1943 to Blues stadium in honor of the AAA Blues that played there. However, another, better known team played there starting in 1937:...

The Atlanta Black Crackers, originally called the Atlanta Cubs, were a Negro League baseball team that played from 1919 to 1952. They played as both an independent club as well as in various Negro leagues throughout their history. Their home field was Ponce de...

The first team to be called the Charleston Senators played its first game in 1910. They lasted until 1916. In 1931, a new Senators team debuted, took a few seasons off during World War II, and returned in 1949. They played for four more...

Playland Amusement Park opened in 1930 on Bitter Lake. A popular entertainment spot into the 1950s, it featured a roller coaster, Shute the Shoots, and roller rink among other attractions. It closed in 1961, the land acquired to build a school.

The Boy Blue chain of soft-serve stands was a Milwaukee institution for many years, from the 1950's until the 1990's.

The Homestead Grays were one of the longest-running Negro league baseball teams in history, playing from 1900 to 1950. Formed in Homestead, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the team grew represent the entire area, eventually sharing Forbes Field with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team also...

Before H-E-B, San Antonio grocery shopped at Handy Andy supermarket. Founded by the Becker family in 1927, they created a store where you could "save where shopping is a pleasure." OS16260

Hilldale Club was a Negro league baseball team based in the Philadelphia suburb of Darby. They played in three different leagues as well as independently and won three league titles as well a step 1925 Negro League World Series. *Produce is officially licensed by...

The Rojos del guila de Veracruz, or Veracruz Eagle Reds en Ingls, were a Triple-A level baseball team that played in the Mexican Baseball League as part of Minor League Baseball. They played their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto  vila in Veracruz,...

The Negro American League was formed on May 9, 1937 and brought together the best teams from the West and South. The NAL began its inaugural season with just seven teams: Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago American Giants, Cincinnati Tigers, Memphis Red Rox, Detroit Stars,...

The??Negro American League??was one of several circuits that operated during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in??1937 and disbanded after the 1962 season. This is the logo the league used in its latter years. *Design is officially licensed from...

The Brooklyn Tigers football team was established in 1936 and played in the second loop to call itself the American Football League. Before the end of its inaugural season, the team moved to Rochester. It folded, along with the rest of the league, after...

The Negro Southern League was the only major black league in operation in 1932. The league began its seasons with only five teams: Chicago American Giants, Cleveland Cubs, Detroit Stars, Indianapolis ABCs and Louisville White Sox. *Design is officially licensed from the Negro Leagues...

The Cuban Stars played in various Negro leagues from 1907 to 1930. The spent most of their time in the Negro National League (1920-1930). The were also known as the Cuban Stars of Havana, Stars of Cuba, Cuban All-Stars, Havana Reds, Almendares Blues or...

The Minneapolis Marines were a professional football team established in 1905. An independent team for most of its existence, it joined the American Professional Football Association in 1921, that league's second season. The team ceased operations after the 1924 season but reformed as the...