Early Americana

WCPO TV was the station first signed on the air at noon on July 26, 1949, and first face seen was Big Jim Stacey.??Originally operating on VHF channel 7; it was Cincinnati's third television station.

The National Basketball League (NBL) was a professional men's basketball??league that was established in 1937. After the 1948-49 season, the league merged with the Basketball Association of America??(BAA) to create the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Swallen's was a chain of retail stores based in Cincinnati, Ohio that first opened in 1948 and ?? featured a mix of appliances, electronics, hardware, sporting goods and firearms, clothing and more.

Toledo, Ohio was in the International Hockey League’s minor league hockey for nearly four decades from 1947 to 1986. The Toledo Mercurys were the original franchise (1947-1962), followed by the Blades (1963-1970), then the Toledo Hornets (1970-1974) and finally the Goaldiggers (1974-1986). OS16150

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...

The Brooklyn Dodgers football team was a charter member of the??All-America Football Conference (AAFC) starting in 1946. Following the 1948, season, the Dodgers were merged with the crosstown football Yankees to become the Brooklyn-New York Yankees, leaving the league with seven teams. At the...

Jackie Robinson best known for breaking the color barrier in the modern era of baseball, but fans of the sport also recognize his extra ordinary talent. After playing for the Negro American League's Kansas City Monarchs in 1945, he was signed by Brooklyn and...

Established in 1942 as W83C, this legendary Chicago radio station changed its call letters several times before becoming WLUP "The Loop 97.9" in 1977. For the next 41 years it was one of the most popular and influential radio station's in America. It is...

The Indianapolis ABCs of the Negro National League became The Cleveland Buckeyes in 1927 and halfway through the season changed their name to the Cleveland Hornets. They only lasted one season though. An unrelated Cleveland Buckeyes team joined the Negro American League in 1942.

The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey team that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York, replacing the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team that left in 1936 after its arena collapsed.   OS16149

The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena opened on July 4, 1959 and sat next to the Coliseum. The first event was held four days later, a boxing match between??Jos?? Becerra??and??Alphonse Halimi. During its 57 year history it hosted not only boxing matches and concerts...

Fay's Drug was a chain of drug stores that was founded in 1958 in Fairmount, New York.  OS15872

Burger Chef was a fast-food hamburger chain that started in Indianapolis in 1958. At its peak in the mid 1970s, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of nationwide locations in the U.S. In the early '70s, it attempted to enter the...

Brewed by Cincinnati's own Schoenling Brewing Co., Little Kings was founded in 1958. Its distinctive 7-ounce green bottle was invented soon after when patrons at Montgomery Inn stated they'd prefer not to buy a full-sized bottle of beer to go with their shots of...

Trader Dick's was a tiki bar located inside a casino in Sparks, Nevada, just outside of Reno. It opened in 1958 and closed in 2014. The spot became Gilley's for a few years, but that has now also closed.

Operating on the naughtier side of the palm tree, the Tahiti Bar opened in Philadelphia in 1958.

After a pitched battle between the local zoning board and drive-in owners, the Oakley Drive-In opened September 6, 1956 on Madison Road in Cincinnati. The first film shown was the??Alfred Hitchcock-directed thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much??starring James Stewart and Doris Day.??The Drive-in...

The Dixie Drive-In Theatre opened in 1955 in Louisville's Shively neighborhood. Located at 4915 Dixie Hwy., it closed in 1967. The site was later a K-Mart and is currently a large grocery store.

The Igloo was a diner and drive-in restaurant in Seattle from the late 1940 until 1954. It's unique twin-dome design, which looked like two igloos, was intended to capture the attention of passing motorists at the intersection of Denny Ave. and Aurora Way.

The Dallas Texans played in the Arena Football League from 1990 to 1993. After failing to meet league financial obligations, they folded. Indoor football returned to the area in 2002 in the form of the Desperados, who played until 2008. The Dallas Texans was...

The Dallas Texans played in the Arena Football League from 1990 to 1993. After failing to meet league financial obligations, they folded. Indoor football returned to the area in 2002 in the form of the Desperados, who played until 2008. The Dallas Texans was also...

Founded in Chicago in 1952, Chicken Delight grew to over 1,000 locations nationwide, tempting patrons with the slogan, "don't cook tonight, call Chicken tonight." The chain is now based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A product of the Euclid Candy Company, the Love Nest candy bar first appeared in the 1920s. It featured??a fudge center with caramel, peanuts, and a chocolate outside. It ceased production some time in the 1950s.

Four Winds Restaurant was an eatery located in the main terminal building of the Kansas City Municipal Airport (now the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport) in the 1950s.

These inexpensive plastic masks and vinyl smocks were an iconic American symbol of Halloween from the 1950s to the 1970s.   OS6015

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

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...

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. FC16555

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...