Making a scene, Jan. 1966

1966 is still widely considered the prime year for guitar based garage rock -- professional, one hit wonder and amateur band alike.

Click here to see this article in its historic context.

Getting it wrong, Mar. 1964

The Ocala Star-Banner began carrying the classics Nancy and Li'l Abner in their comics roster on March 1, 1964.  To the average reader, the faces of the folks behind even their favorite strips may not be familiar.  Still, in 1964, while Capp's frequently televised face would have been vaguely familiar to an editor, apparently he couldn't make its connection to Li'l Abner rather than Bushmiller's inscrutible Nancy.





Click here to see this article in its historic context.

Music history with a bullet, Dec. 1974

Don't miss Billboard magazine on Google Books search:

The December 28, 1974 issue has great stuff including an article on bootlegs hitting major retailers, an interview with EMI's Sir Joe Lockwood, great ads and of course the listings of the hits of the week sliced and diced into so many categories about everyone gets a nod, while Wireless mics were untangling the rock stage.

Joke with food, Aug, 1968

First, think if you can remember ever getting a drink of any kind for 25 cents.  Then think if you can ever imagine a time when any 16oz size drink would be referred to as "jumbo"-size (without being sarcastic).



View the ad in historical context here.

Give me Liberty (and how long it will take to read it), 1945 (and 1976)

Liberty magazine helped its readers by giving them an estimated amount of time it would take to read an article.  This allowed for determining if one could read the entire article from one streetcar stop to the next, or if saving it for a planned rest stop would be more satisfying.

In the post-television world magazines such as Liberty were fast becoming antiquated and by 1976, Liberty itself recognized its nostalgic value outweighed its cultural relevance, reprinting "classic" articles such as this one originally from 1945.  Similarly, the comic strip Buck Rogers had become a nostalgic touchstone too, and in 1976 was soon to be re-vamped riding a post-Star Wars wave of sci-fi and (more nostalgic) movie serial-style action.

How many folks felt pressure to read the article within the serving suggestion?  How many insisted to their supervisor their eight minute coffee break could not possibly be over when the article clearly states a reading time of eight minutes and they still had a page and a half to go?