By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
During the twilight of the fifties, the Englander Company manufactured a commercial sleeping slab with a mechanical vibrator at its core. One of their top salesman, John Houghtaling (hotel-ing), peddled the unit to customers in the lodging industry. When a number of clients complained that the buzz-boxes were burning [...]
Posted in American Icons, Car Culture, Hotel Motel, Roadside America | 
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By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
Americans drive more than 2.5 trillion miles per year in cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles—a distance equal to 14,000 round trips to the sun! To rack up this amazing mileage, the U.S. motoring market consumes 146 billion gallons of gasoline every year.
With so much refined petroleum being bought and [...]
Posted in American Icons, Car Culture, Gasoline, Gasoline Stations | No Comments »
By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
“People in their cars are so lazy that they don’t want to get out of them to eat!” The proclamation still rings as true today as it did when candy and tobacco magnate Jessie G. Kirby first uttered the words in 1921. At the time, he was trying to [...]
Posted in American Icons, Car Culture, Drive-in Food, Food, Food and Drink | No Comments »