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
What do McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Denny’s, Arby’s, Roy Rogers, Taco Bell, Jack-in-the-Box, and Kentucky Fried Chicken have in common? All have their distant origins in the diner, that unsung institution of roadside America that began over one-hundred years ago, decades before there were automobiles, drive-thru ordering windows, milkshake mixers, and [...]
Posted in American Icons, Food and Drink, Roadside America | 1 Comment »
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 »