1. Coca-Cola Back in the late 19th century, Coca-Cola wasn’t just a refreshing drink—it was marketed as a medicinal tonic. Created by John Pemberton in 1886, it was advertised as a cure for headaches, fatigue, and even morphine addiction. Its […]
1. Carpet Beaters Before the days of vacuum cleaners, people had to get creative when it came to cleaning their rugs. Carpet beaters looked like oversized fly swatters made of rattan or wire, and they were used to whack dust
1. McDonald’s Arch Deluxe Back in the mid-1990s, McDonald’s thought it could appeal to adults with a “fancy” burger called the Arch Deluxe. It was supposed to be more sophisticated than their usual fare, with a special sauce, peppered bacon,
1. Evacuation Day If you grew up in Boston, you might have heard of Evacuation Day, but most Americans wouldn’t recognize the name. This holiday once marked March 17, 1776, when British troops left Boston during the Revolutionary War. For
1. Hydrox Cookies Before Oreo took over the cookie aisle, Hydrox was the original chocolate sandwich cookie. They hit shelves way back in 1908, decades before Nabisco’s Oreo came along. By the ’70s, Hydrox was still hanging on and had
1. Early Electric Irons When the electric iron first arrived in homes, it was celebrated as a way to make laundry day faster and easier. But those early models didn’t come with automatic shut-offs or temperature controls. If you forgot
1. Turning Leftovers into Soup During the Great Depression, nothing went to waste, and soups were a lifeline for many families. People would toss potato peels, carrot tops, bones, or whatever scraps they had into a pot, stretching meals in
