Early Americana

The original Bills football team was established in 1946 in Buffalo as the Bisons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). In 1947, after a name-the-team contest, the new name was selected. In 1949, the NFL absorbed several AAFC teams but, oddly, the Bills were...

The Cleveland Rebels played in the Basketball Association of America,??forerunner of the NBA, for the 1946/47 season. The city would return to the NBA fold in 1970 with the formation of the Cavaliers.

The International Hockey League (IHL) was, along with the American Hockey League (AHL), the sports top developmental circuit. Founded in 1945, it started in smaller markets, but eventually had teams in big cities, some with NHL teams. Over expansion and financial strains caused the...

Seven years after the departure of the city's team for Washington, Boston got a new pro football team in 1944. For four years the Yanks called the city home and formed quite a rivalry with Philadelphia.

The Pittsburgh Rens were members of the American Basketball League, a short-lived circuit that operated for a season and a half starting in 1961. Rens was short for??Renaissance,??a clean air and civic revitalization project launched by city leaders in the late 1940s.??The Rens were...

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).

The Memphis Red Sox were established in 1920 and played in several Negro leagues including,??Negro Southern League??(1921???1924, 1926, and again 1931-1936),??Negro National League (I)??(1924???1925, 1927-1930), and the Negro American League??(1937???1959). Norman "Turkey" Stearnes, William "Willie" Henderson Foster, Daniel Robert Bankhead, Jehosie "Jay" Heard, Marshall...

It's considered the greatest bad movie of all time. Written and directed by the infamous Ed Wood in 1959, Plan 9 from Outer Space??focuses on an attempt by extraterrestrials to stop mankind from making a doomsday weapon capable of destroying the entire universe.

Steve Crane was an actor turned restaurateur. After opening the highly successful Luau restaurant in Beverly Hills in the late 1940s, he started the Kon Tiki chain in 1958. Most of these were located inside Sheraton hotels.

Since 1957, Dairy Belle has been serving up shakes and fries to folks of the Bay Area. OS16523

The Big Six Conference membership grew with the addition of Colorado on December 1, 1947 and making the conference's unofficial name the Big Seven Conference. This conference name lasted from 1948 to 1957. OS15776

Sandy's was a hamburger chain founded in Peoria, Illinois in 1956 by four businessmen who originally planned to open a McDonald's franchise. After a disagreement with McDonald's head Ray Kroc, the four men struck out on their own, naming their burger joint Sandy's. The...

Holiday Hill amusement park opened in 1955 on Lambert Road, just east of St. Louis Lambert International Airport. It featured a roller coaster, kiddie land, miniature golf course, swimming pool, and arcade. Increased competition, limited space, and other, unforeseen, circumstances, led to the park's...

The Skipper Ryle Show was a TV program in Cincinnati on WKRC-TV. Glenn Ryle hosted this show from 1955 to 1972.

The Portsmouth Spartans were established in 1928 and played in Southern Ohio for six seasons. IN 1934 they were purchased for $8,000 by a Detroit radio executive who moved the team to Michigan. They were renamed the Lions and became one of the most successful...

Higbee's was a department store founded in 1860 in Cleveland. It almost went out of business during the Great Depression, but reorganized and became quite successful after World War II. In the 1950s and 1960s, suburban were locations were added at the new shopping...

Officially known as the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel opened in 1950 and connects Red Hook in Brooklyn with Battery Park City in Manhattan.

Vampira was a horror movie host in the 1950s in Los Angeles. Played by actress Maila Nurmi, Vampira appeared on KABC from April 1954 to April 1955. She later appeared in the infamous Ed Wood sci-fi/horror film??Plan 9 From Outer Space.??

The Boston Yanks were established in1944 and brought pro football back to the city for the first time since the city's previous team left for Washington, D.C. in 1937. In 1945, the team temporarily merged with the Brooklyn Tigers (formerly the Dayton Triangles) for...

Bring the spark with this vintage-style Reddy Kilowatt cap. Made from soft 100% cotton corduroy, it’s got a low-profile fit, embroidered details, and an adjustable strap with a gold buckle. A perfect blend of comfort and old-school cool. • 100% cotton corduroy • Unstructured,...

While it was known for most of its existence as the St. Louis Arena, from 1977 to 1983 it was known as the Checkerdome. Opened in 1929 it closed in 1999, replaced by the Kiel Center (now the Scottrade Center). Over the years it...

Steamboat Willie debuted in 1928 and starred a mouse who went on to great worldwide fame.

Speedway, Indiana is the home of the ??Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 auto races are held. It was established in 1912 as a planned residential community and was incorporated in 1926.

First appearing in 1926, Reddy Kilowatt??is a cartoon character that served as a mascot for??various??electric utilities across the United States, and a few other??countries for over,70 years.

Laurel & Hardy were one of the most famous comedy duos in history. Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in England, came to the U.S. in 1912 with a comedy troupe in which he performed. After the tour, he decided to stay and later...

Laurel & Hardy were one of the most famous comedy duos in history. Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in England, came to the U.S. in 1912 with a comedy troupe in which he performed. After the tour, he decided to stay and later...

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...

Stapleton Airport opened in 1923 and served Denver's commercial aviation needs until 1995. The airport having no room to grow was replaced by Denver International Airport. The former airport property became the neighborhood of Central Park, which is now home to homes and businesses.

The American Soccer League (ASL) was established in 1933. A league with the same name was established in 1921, but ceased operations after its 1932 season. The second ASL lasted until 1983. Two subsequent leagues used the name. ASL II, for most of its...

The St. Louis Stars began play in 1901 as the St. Louis Giants. They changed their nickname in 1922 while playing in the Negro National League. The club won three titles while in the NNL. *Product is official licensed by the Negro Leagues Baseball...