Early Americana

The Portland Eagles played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League from 1944 until 1951.

The Buffalo Blues played in the short-lived Federal League in 1914 and 1915. Despite many attempts, including the formation of another rebel baseball circuit, the Continental League in the late 1950s, big league baseball has never returned to Buffalo. In 2020, Toronto's baseball team...

The Nashville Elite Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 to 1950, both independently and as part of several different leagues. The team called several cities home over the years, including Baltimore, Cleveland, Columbus, and Washington. The played in Nashville...

If you wore a store-bought Halloween costume between 1950 and the late 1980s, there's a good chance it was made by Ben Cooper, Inc. Consisting of an inexpensive vinyl smock and plastic mask to recreate various pop culture icons, the costumes were a staple...

The Big 8 Conference was a college athletic conference formed in 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and included the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska, Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, and University of Iowa. Membership grew to 10, but in 1928, it...

WTAM 1100 began broadcasting in 1923 from Cleveland. Over the years the station would also be known as KYW, WKYC, and from 1972 to 1996, WWWE, or 3WE. It was during the 3WE years that the station broadcast the Cleveland Cavaliers Miracle at Richfield, season...

K ??B Toys (also known as Kay Bee Toys) was a chain of mall-based retail toy stores founded in 1922. The chain went out of business in 2009 with rival Toys "R" Us acquiring the remains of K ??B Toys.Looking for youth ??sizes? Shop...

In 1916, the Cincinnati Motor Speedway opened in Sharonville, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati. The track closed and was dismantled in 1919, with all of the lumber going to Chillicothe, Ohio to expand Camp Sherman which is still in operation. However, racing on the...

The Stars were a Negro league baseball team that called Detroit home from 1919 to 1931. Starting as an independent team, they played in the Negro National League from 1920 to 1931. CHECK OUT OUR ENTIRE NEGRO LEAGUES COLLECTION, AS WELL AS MORE SHIRTS...

It's a sign! Skyline Chili was established in 1949 by Greek immigrant Nicholas Lambrinides. The first location in Price Hill offered a wonderful panoramic view of downtown Cincinnati, which inspired the restaurant's name. It has literally become synonymous with Cincinnati-style chili, as many folks around...

WQXI first went on the air in 1948 and played the pop standards of the day. In the 1960s it moved to a top-40/rock & roll format, before switching to oldies in the 1970s. The station is most famous for being the inspiration for...

KULA began broadcasting on May 14, 1947. In 1967, it changed it's call letters to KKUA and switched its format to Top-40. It has changed call signs several times since, and today is a talk radio station.

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...

Detroit's pro basketball team was established in Fort Wayne in 1937 as a semi-pro squad called the Zollner Pistons. Fred Zollner, a manufacturer of pistons, owned the team. They turned pro in 1941 and joined the National Basketball League (NBL). In 1957, the team...

Jerry's was founded in Lexington in 1946, quickly becoming a Kentucky favorite. In 1957, the restaurant began franchising. In 1990, the chain was acquired by Denny's who converted most locations to that nameplate while renaming about a dozen locations Jerry's J-Boy, after it's signature...

The Indianapolis Chiefs hockey team played in the IHL from 1955 to 1962 at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum. They won the Turner Cup in 1958, despite having a losing record.

The Indianapolis Clowns a professional baseball team in the Negro American League. They came to Indianapolis in 1946 after stints in Cincinnati, Miami, and as a barnstorming team. They left the Negro American League in 1954 but continued to play exhibition games into the...

The Tiny Hut tiki bar was a restaurant located in Walnut Hills, California. It was in operation in the 1940s and 1950s.

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...

The Harrisburg Giants were a Negro leagues team established in 1890. In 1924, they joined the Eastern Colored League. Even after the color line was broken, the Giants played on. Unlike fellow surviving Negro leagues teams, they weren't a barnstorming team, but had a...

The Buffalo Central Terminal was Western New York's main train station from the time it opened in 1923 until 1979. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The building is currently being redeveloped. *A portion of proceeds benefits the??Central...

The Louisville Breckenridges, or Brecks for short, were members of the National Football League from 1921 to 1924.

The Bacharach Giants were a Negro Leagues baseball team established in 1916 in Atlantic City. Until 1923, they were an independent team, save for 1920 when they were members of the Cuban League. In 1923, they joined the Eastern Colored League, In 1929, they...

Robert Hall Clothes, better known as simply Robert Hall, was a warehouse-style clothing store foined in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1937. It eventually grew to over 350 locations in 36 states. Founder Jacob Schwab is reported to have pulled the name out of thin air....

Shillito's was Cincinnati's first department store. It was founded by John Shillito and William McLaughlin in 1830 as McLaughlin & Shillito, but that partnership soon split up. In 1878, Shillito's moved to a new building on Race and Seventh streets, which was remodeled in...

Neptune Fish Grotto opened in 1936 on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

Built in 1912 as Redland Field, the Cincinnati Reds home ballpark was renamed Crosley Field, in honor of the team's new owner, in 1934. It was the home of the Reds until 1970 when they moved into Riverfront Stadium. One of the most iconic...

Chester Park was located at the northwest corner of Spring Grove and Mitchell Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio. It opened in 1875, its most famous ride was the Tickler until the park closed in 1932.

The Stars were a Negro league baseball team that called Detroit home from 1919 to 1931. Starting as an independent team, they played in the Negro National League from 1920 to 1931. They played their home games at Mack Park. It was located at...