Somebody in the 1980s really wanted to put a sexy robot in an ad.
Why the Can Opener Wasn’t Invented Until Almost 50 Years After the Can
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Magnavox Videowriter Word Processor from the JCPenney Spring and Summer 1987 catalog — only $789.99!
The Fantastic and Troubled History of the Video Phone
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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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“…an awe-inspiring flight over realistic scenery…”
Lies! All lies! See for yourself below.
Thanks to this software, and trying to learn how to fly on an Atari 1200XL computer connected to a black and white TV set in the mid-1980s, I decided that I did not want to become a pilot when I grew up.
I thought the vector art used in the ad and packaging was pretty nifty tho.
Ooh! subLOGIC had a Telex number! Fancy.
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I thought I had a chance at this wonderfully odd Williams typewriter invented by John Newton Williams and the first typewriter where the typist could actually see what they just typed (Williams also invented one of the first helicopters and a 3-cylinder motorcycle). It was the first item up for auction. The typewriter went for $1,200. I did not have a chance.