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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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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This ad has a pretty utilitarian headline in the innovation/differentiation/unique-selling-proposition/how-will-it-improve-your-life vein, but once you get into the body copy, it’s a golden-age masterpiece of copywriting.
Fun fact: The snooze alarm was invented in 1956.
While we’re at it, here’s a 2,000-year history of alarm clocks thanks to Atlas Obscura.
Hey babe, are you into horology?
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Something for the auto buffs: Why Packard Died
Want a Packard of your very own? Looks like a 1929 Packard 645 Deluxe Eight goes for an average of $212,926 these days. What a bargain!
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What is that strange toy? It can’t possibly be based on a real plane, can it?
Yes. Yes it can. The “small, tubby airplane” is the Gee Bee! Also described as “A Cute But Dangerous Airplane” and the “Fastest and Most Dangerous Airplane in the World“.
Want one? As of May 2019, you can for the low, low price of only $899,000!
What a way to celebrate America’s Bicentennial.
Fun fact: Billboard’s #1 song on the Hot 100 around the time of this ad?
Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight”.
Another fun fact: Radio Shack sold blank 8-track tapes until 1990.
AS USUAL.
“Let me know when we get to Mars.”
“We passed Mars ten planets ago, ma’am.”
This early cartoon/comic/illustration/panel is weird, wonderful and a work of art. It’s as if Jules Verne and Mark Twain had a baby, and I dig it.
The Artist is F.W. Read, but there is scant info online except for a few other pieces of work and that he/she studied in Paris at Académie Julian in 1891. If you know more, please let me know!