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Viper was a steel roller coaster located in a Houston, Texas theme park. Manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, the Looping Star model opened in 1989 and had two trains with seven cars per train and riders arranged two across for a total of 28 riders per train. The track featured a single inversion, ran a length of 1,942.3 ft, had a peak height of 80.4 ft, and a top speed of 47.8 mph. Viper was demolished with the closing of the park on October 30, 2005. It had previously operated at a park in St. Louis, where it was known as Jet Scream from 1981 to 1988. An identical installation still operates at in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its paint scheme is different, and the tunnel surrounds the final turn as opposed to the drop hill.

Farfisa Electronic Instruments was formed after three Italian accordion manufacturers combined to form a single company. They began to produce electronic instruments in the late 1950s, and combo organs. Popular models included the Compact series introduced in 1964, the Professional in 1967, the FAST in 1968 and the VIP in 1970. The success of Farfisa organs declined with the increased popularity of electronic organs in rock groups during the '70s, and in response the company produced models that could emulate the most popular makes, and introduced electronic pianos and synthesizers. Farfisa Electronic Instruments saw a bit of a revival in the late 1970s as part of the new wave movement, and the final models were produced in the early 1980s.

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on Route 421, 80 miles north of Charlotte. The speedway opened its doors on May 18, 1947, as a dirt track with the first official event promoted as a modified race, including heat races and a feature event. While an attendance of about 3,000 people was expected, a crowd in excess of 10,000 showed up to see one of the famous Flock brothers compete (and ultimately win the race). The track is just 5/8 of a mile around and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch that played into it's reputation as one of the fastest short-tracks of the '40s and '50s. The original dirt oval was paved in 1957 and continued to operate until the track's closure in 1996.

Compared to turbos, superchargers generally provide a much broader power band with no "turbo lag." This becomes especially true when it comes to motorcycles with their high power to weight ratio, when a turbo kicking in can send the rider out of control with a sudden rush of power. Back in the '90s, the folks at Magna Charger knew superchargers were the easiest way to get more power out of a stock or mildly modified motorcycle engine, and began offering their Magna Charger kits via mail order. These kits were a first in that they were much easier to install and tune than previous supercharger offerings, making them more practical for a guy turning wrenches in his driveway.

Eurisko Software was an artificial intelligence software company from Season 1, Episode 7 of the X-Files, titled "Ghost in The Machine." The company was founded by Brad Wilczek and chief executive officer Benjamin Drake in Crystal City, Virginia. After Wilczek leaves, Drake writes a memo proposing to shut down the Central Operating System (C.O.S.) project, a smart automated computer which runs the Eurisko Building. Seeing this through a surveillance camera, the C.O.S. sets up a trap and lures Drake into a bathroom, locking the door behind him. Drake tries to use his key card to open it, but when he inserts a manual override key, he is fatally electrocuted. Soon enough, Mulder and Scully must fight to survive the building themselves.

Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks is a 1976 sexploitation women in prison film, and the first sequel to Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. Despite the fact that Ilsa was killed at the conclusion of the notorious debut film, she returns (seemingly unaged) decades later as the strutting headmistress of a sadistic charm school for a power-mad sheik's harem of sex slaves. She masterminds a conspiracy to turn her trainees into veritable sex bombs--they explode upon orgasm--and auctions them off to her master's rivals. Campier than the first film, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks still offers its share of sick torture scenes and brutal violence, earning its place in the annals of sexploitation cinema history.

Broken Hill is a frontier mining town in the far west of New South Wales, in the Australian outback. Known as the Silver City, Broken Hill is situated on one of the world’s richest deposits of silver, lead, and zinc ores. The town sits in a hot and subarid region, and like most places in Australia's vast outback, breaking down between here and there can be a case of life and death for the unprepared. Thankfully, towing operations like Outback Towing provide 24-hour rapid service to retrieve folks who find themselves stranded on the highway due to mechanical breakdown or those who venture a little too far off-road and find themselves stuck in the red silt that covered the region, Outback Towing can get travelers back on the road in no time.

For some reason, labeling yourself as a snake and telling people to trust you was a thing in the '70s and this iron on featuring a wicked looking cobra wrapping around the words from 1978 is a great example.

A staple of late '70s and '80s style was this Hot-N-Juicy 1977 design that was a popular promotional giveaway.

Jupiter’s Claim was a California Gold Rush theme park owned by Ricky “Jupe” Park, a former child star best known for playing Jupiter in “Kid Jupiter,” where his nickname “Jupe” was derived from. Located in the Santa Clarita area, Jupiter’s Claim features an authentic western town, packed with things to do and see, plus souvenirs and food a plenty. Outside the town, visitors could enjoy riding an iron horse around Jupe’s Loop, a petting zoo, horse riding, the Winking Well, and of course, the famous Star Lasso Rodeo Show.

Not too long before judgement day, Cyberdyne Systems was a powerhouse of Silicon Valley and like any good tech company, they swagged out employees and visitors with logo gear much like this very example.

One of the toughest sports around has to be bull riding. From the moment a cowboy straddles upwards of 2,000 pounds of bull that doesn't want to be ridden to when the chute gate swings open, and he goes for the ride, it's pure adrenalin. This is probably also part of why women are so attracted to bull riders, as they're the living persona of masculinity and about as tough as they come. This '80s style Moonlight Cowboy design celebrates the American cowboys who chase that eight second bell riding roughstock at rodeos across the country just about every night of the week.

Bagger style motorcycles have been around for a long time, but for some reason in the early-mid 2000s, they became a thing. Like, a really big thing. The more customized, outrageous, and ostentatious, the better, some becoming so absurd they were nearly unrideable. There are a lot of opinions on baggers, but most of the real chopper guys feel that a bagger ain't a chop, and we tend to agree. So to the bagger crowd pulling up to the chopper show, don't be surprised if you get told to pound sand and hear "fuck you bagger" as you roll out.

The annual Artichoke Festival began in 1959 as a harvest festival to celebrate California’s official state vegetable, the iconic artichoke. Castroville, California, which bills itself as the "Artichoke Center of the World," sees artichoke fans and foodies from around the world make their way to Monterey County each year, and the festival has grown so large that it has been moved out of the town, into a nearby convention center.

Back in 1949, there wasn't a whole lot to see in the rural farming community of Beltsville, Maryland. Ok, well, there still isn't that much to see today, but that's besides the point. The late '40s saw an old barn repurposed just off the highway to sell handcrafted furniture under the name 'Farmer Brown's Furniture Barn' in Beltsville. But, why? Because back then U.S. Route 1 was the main highway between Fort Kent, Maine, and Key West, Florida, and it ran right through Beltsville.1954 saw the Washington Parkway come through and that cut traffic in half, but when I95 opened up in 1971, traffic through Beltsville became nonexistent. Nonetheless, Farmer Brown's soldiered on well into the '80s, proving that some things are just worth the drive.

After being banned from all the major clubs in their hometown of Washington, DC, Bad Brains moved to New York City in 1981 and recorded their first album at 171-A. "Bad Brains" (also known as The Yellow Tape) is the debut studio album recorded by American hardcore punk/reggae band Bad Brains. Recorded in 1981 and released on cassette-only on February 5, 1982, many fans refer to it as "The Yellow Tape" because of its yellow packaging. Though Bad Brains had recorded the 16 song Black Dots album in 1979 and the 5-song Omega Sessions EP in 1980, the yellow cassette was the band's actual first release. The cover art depicts DC's Capitol Building being struck by a bolt of lightning, an obvious homage to their DC roots.

Car giveaways have been around for a long time, but in 1976, a cross-promotional sweepstakes took things up a notch when three different American companies got together to create a one of a kind ride. This wild, custom '76 Econoline van utilized elements from the three sponsors to create a truly unique custom van that was dubbed the 'Denimachine.' From its crazy custom flamed exterior to its wall-to-wall denim interior, the Denimachine made quite a splash as people sent in their bottle cap liners in droves for a chance to land one in their driveway. There were ten Denimachines given away in the U.S. and fifteen given away in Canada beginning in 1976 and through most of 1977.

Sit on a Happy Face is another classic novelty design that is back for another ride... so to speak.

1985 was a really bad time to test the limits of free speech in America. When a San Francisco punk band released their new album that same year, it included a fold out poster known informally as 'Penis Landscape.' After an angry mother filed a complaint with the California attorney general about the poster, the band, their label, and a litany of others were charged with distributing harmful material to a minor. The free speech test was on, a trial ensued, and the 'No More Censorship Defense Fund' was set up to help defend those involved against an increasingly anti-free speech. This design was both a fundraiser by selling the shirt and an advertisement, as punks and free speech advocates alike wore them like walking billboards.

Olson Transportation Co. was founded in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1927. Unlike most carriers that tried to grow and expand to cover as much territory as possible, Olson was small by design. Until their closure in 1968, they operated an efficient overnight LTL freight network that connected all of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan with Chicago. Their yellow and brown trucks were a common sight throughout the region and known by locals as the most reliable way to get their goods to market in Chicago.

Mexican Original was a producer of Mexican foods that was founded in Los Angeles in 1953. Whether you like obscure tortillas or are a bit of a Mexican original yourself, this one is for you!

Despite being the 23rd most populous city in Texas, Carrollton has maintained a quaint, small town vibe that many municipalities aspire to, but in the early '70s, this once rural community became an unexpected destination for skateboarders from all over the country. Wait, what? Because everything is bigger in Texas, at some point, somebody decided to build what was the world's largest skatepark in Carrollton - the Free Flight Skatepark. It was larger than anything California had to offer at the time and drew skaters in from coast-to-coast to experience the new park. From what we can see, the park ran for at least a decade, as there are records of events, competitions, and contest results into the early '80s before the trail goes cold.

Babatunde Olatunji was a Nigerian drummer, educator, social activist, and recording artist, but is probably best known as the father of African drumming in America. For decades, he spread a message of love and spirituality with his drumming, and thanks to his disarmingly friendly and open demeanor, he was considered by many to be a living legend. He released nearly 20 albums, with the first one coming out in 1960, and collaborated on just as many with other artists.

If you lived in Jackson, Mississippi in the late '70s through the early '90s and had a very specific brand of cigarettes or a favorite cigar that you enjoyed, odds are that you would swing by Midnight's Tobacco Market every week or so. Midnight's stocked all the same stuff that the corner store did, but also kept regional and international options that you otherwise couldn't pick up locally, and they didn't charge an arm and a leg for their stuff, either. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Autumn Phonata was a concert series held on the UC campus in Chicago and this example comes from the 1983 event.

The G.R. Kinney Company was an American manufacturer and retailer of shoes from 1894 until September 16, 1998. The shoe concern was started by George Romanta Kinney, whose father ran a general store in rural Candor, New York. In 1894, at the age of 28, Kinney had saved enough to purchase a Lester retail outlet in Waverly, New York. Kinney succeeded by selling affordably priced shoes to working Americans, and by 1936, Kinney Shoes was the largest family shoe retailer chain in America, with 335 stores operating nationwide. In 1977, Kenney introduced their line of basketball shoes with a splashy campaign with a very '70s vibe, offering versions featuring Caucasian and African American basketball players dunking the ball.

Soul Train was an American musical variety television show that aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The origins of Soul Train can be traced to 1965 when WCIU-TV, an upstart UHF station in Chicago, began airing two youth-oriented dance programs: Kiddie-a-Go-Go and Red Hot and Blues. These programs—specifically the latter, which featured predominantly African American in-studio dancers—would set the stage for what was to come to the station several years later, when Don Cornelius would bring Soul Train to TV.

Founded in 1781, and incorporated in 1850, Los Angeles (Spanish for 'The Angels'), is the largest city in the state of California. It has a population of roughly 3.9 million as of 2020, and is the second-largest city in the United States after New York City. Los Angeles is known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic and cultural diversity, Hollywood film industry, and sprawling metropolitan area. The city of Los Angeles lies in a basin in Southern California, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, extending through the Santa Monica Mountains and into the San Fernando Valley. It covers about 469 square miles and is the seat of Los Angeles County, which is the most populous county in the United States with an estimated 9.86 million as of 2022.

New Jack City is a 1991 American action crime film about a rising drug lord in New York City during the '80s crack epidemic. The plot follows drug tycoon Nino Brown and his minions, known collectively as the Cash Money Brothers, as they rapidly rise to the top of the NYC narcotics trade. Under Nino's heartless leadership, the drug operation has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire. Scotty and Nick, two police officers who know their way around the streets of Harlem, aim to bring Nino and his cohorts down. To do so, though, they'll have to play by Nino's rules and go undercover.

Founded in 1927, Ben Franklin was a chain of five and dime stores found primarily in small towns throughout the United States. The stores were franchise based, with individual stores owned by independent proprietors, and are believed to be the first retail franchise. They are named after Benjamin Franklin, taking a cue in their merchandise offerings from Franklin's saying, "a penny saved is a penny earned."

Superjoint Ritual was an American heavy metal band formed in 1993. Despite their early '90s establishment, it was not until a decade later that the group recorded any albums. It was then that the band garnered significant exposure by way of radio and TV play, but sadly the group imploded just as they were building momentum.

Dolly Dearest is a 1991 slasher horror movie that was initially supposed to be direct-to-video, but ended up getting a limited theatrical release. Despite being critically panned, it has been credited as being inspiration for other films in the genre. The story follows an American toy manufacturer who buys the shuttered Dolly Dearest factory in Mexico, but unbeknownst to him, it's neighbors with an ancient Mayan tomb of Sanzia, or Satan on Earth. So not only does he have a satanic grave a stone's throw away, but one of the dolls in inventory contains the malevolent spirit of Sanzia, a devil child, and guess which doll his daughter picks out to play with?

On September 8, 2002, just a year after the 9/11 attacks, then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said “We don’t want the smoking gun of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction or WMD to be a mushroom cloud.” America would invade Iraq on March 19, 2003 based on continued accusations from the Bush Administration that Saddam Hussein was in possession of WMDs, but after taking control of the nation, 18-months of extensive searches turned up nothing. This magnificent parody of the 2000 comedy 'Dude, Where's My Car?' lampoons the Bush Administration and their WMD claims perfectly and now, two decades later, it's back for another run!

Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties, received more than six million recreational visitors in 2017, which is the second-highest count of all American national parks after Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This '80s era tourist design is reminiscent of the many souvenir tees travelers to the Grand Canyon would pick up along the way.

The Clod Buster is a 1/10-scale radio-controlled monster truck released in 1987 that is seen as a game changer for R/C enthusiasts. With its four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, twin 540 motors and huge 165 mm tires, it quickly became one of the most popular radio-controlled model kits of all time. The Clod Buster and its related models virtually spawned an aftermarket industry of modifications that could be done to it to improve performance and durability. The aftermarket for the Clod Buster is so extensive that it is possible to build one entirely of aftermarket parts with no factory Clod parts whatsoever. Many small businesses have popped up over the years to cater to just the Clod Buster owner.

The G.R. Kinney Company was an American manufacturer and retailer of shoes from 1894 until September 16, 1998. The shoe concern was started by George Romanta Kinney, whose father ran a general store in rural Candor, New York. In 1894, at the age of 28, Kinney had saved enough to purchase a Lester retail outlet in Waverly, New York. Kinney succeeded by selling affordably priced shoes to working Americans, and by 1936, Kinney Shoes was the largest family shoe retailer chain in America, with 335 stores operating nationwide. In 1977, Kenney introduced their line of basketball shoes with a splashy campaign with a very '70s vibe, offering versions featuring Caucasian and African American basketball players dunking the ball.