Hypnotic History

Is a Pronto Pup a corn dog, or are corn dogs imitation Pronto Pups? We’ll try to unravel the madness together.  Sources: Mumford, Tracy. “The definitive history of the corn dog (er, Pronto Pup).”  MPR News , 2 September 2016,  https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/02/definitive-guide-to-pronto-pup-corn-dog .  OptiMonsterDM. “5 Corn Dog Facts You Might Not Know About - Our Guide.”  George's Gyr...

Why most of the stories told about hot dogs are bologna (so to speak) Sources: Butler, Stephanie.  The Extra-Long History of the Hot Dog | HISTORY , 28 August 2013,  https://www.history.com/news/break-out-the-buns-the-history-of-the-hot-dog .  Debczak, Michele. “The Disputed History of the Hot Dog.”  Mental Floss , 27 April 2022,  https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/hot-dog-history . “Searching Hist...

The student-run magazine that chronicled bygone stories and skills from Southern Appalachia Sources: Danovich, Tove. “The Foxfire Book Series That Preserved Appalachian Foodways.”  NPR , 17 March 2017,  https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/03/17/520038859/the-foxfire-book-series-that-preserved-appalachian-foodways . The Foxfire Book . Anchor Books ed., Garden City, NY, Doubleday, 1972.  Inter...

We watched the entire 30-minute Flowbee infomercial so you don’t have to. Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Cave, Damien. “Suction a Little More Off the Top, Please.”  Los Angeles Times , 24 January 2000,  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-24-cl-56991-story.html . Cohen, Danielle. “George Clooney Is Joking About Cutting His Own Hair With an Informercial...

Cold War-era guidelines for surviving a nuclear attack Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: U.S. Department Of Defense.  In Time of Emergency . Office of Civil Defense, March 1968.

How Americans started the diamond engagement ring trend, the troubling ancient origin of bridesmaids, and more! Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Andersen, Charlotte Hilton. “The History and Origins Behind 15 Popular Wedding Traditions.”  Reader's Digest , 30 May 2022,  https://www.rd.com/list/wedding-traditions/ . Glusac, Melina. “Wedding Traditions With Dark and...

Forget IKEA. Try building your own house from a mail-order kit! Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Abid, Ayesha. “Sears Is Fading, But Memories Of Its Mail-Order Homes Endure.” NPR , 20 October 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/10/20/657770791/sears-is-fading-but-memories-of-its-mail-order-homes-endure .  Cole, Regina. “The Sears House Was the American Dream That Came In A...

We’re going to tell you what part of prom  Seventeen  magazine called, “one of the more pressing and controversial teen issues these days.” Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Anderson, Ann.  High School Prom: Marketing, Morals and the American Teen . McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2012.  Internet Archive .  Anderson, Agnes J., and Marietta Abell.  The Junior-Seni...

A place where you could watch a movie and … have a barbeque picnic? Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Ashcraft, Jenny. “June 6, 1933: The Era of Drive-In Movies Begins - The official blog of Newspapers.com .” Newspapers.com Blog , 1 June 2020, https://blog.newspapers.com/june-6-1933-the-era-of-drive-in-movies-begins/ .  Butler, Kirstin. “Looking Back at the Original Dr...

Cars may have led to drive-thrus, but drive-thrus changed the way cars–and food–are made. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “America's Love Of Drive-thrus.” NPR , 11 December 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/12/11/1198909271/1a-draft-12-11-2023 . Barksdale, Nate. How Drive-Thru Dining Changed Fast Food | HISTORY , 16 May 2014, https://www.history.com/news/drive-thru-...

Hear how the first video rental store skirted legal problems and which chain store passed up an opportunity that might have saved them from bankruptcy. Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “Blockbuster sues rival company.”   Newspapers.com , Tallahassee Democrat, February 4, 1995,  https://www.newspapers.com/article/tallahassee-democrat/9125338/ “Curtain Closing on Movie...

From movies to video games, why isn’t the high-quality picture of Laserdisc in every home? And where did it find a following that’s still going today? Instagram and More:  https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Greenberg, Joshua M.  From Betamax to Blockbuster : video stores and the invention of movies on video . MIT Press, 2008.  Internet Archive .  Higgins, Chris. “Mr. Wizard Explains the La...

The first method for recording live television that sparked an infamous lawsuit with Disney and Universal Studios. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “Betamax and VHS.” NYU Stern , 28 August 2002, https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~lcabral/teaching/betamax.pdf .  DeMain, Bill. “How Mister Rogers Saved the VCR.” Mental Floss , 7 June 2018, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/2...

The legally-hounded shows that gave us commercials, PBS, and a ceramic Dalmatian named Sheldon.  Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “The Aftermath of the Quiz Show Scandal | American Experience.” PBS , https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/quizshow-aftermath-quiz-show-scandal/ . “Game Shows | Programs | Pioneers of Television.” PBS , https://www.pbs.org/w...

You bet your Golden Yangles we’ve got the scoop on cookie sales! Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Carey, Shelley Johnson. Thin Mint Memories: Scouting for Empowerment Through the Girl Scout Cookie Program . Clear Message Media, 2016. “Girl Scout Cookie History.” Girl Scouts , https://www.girlscouts.org/en/cookies/cookie-history.html .  “Meet the Cookies.” Girl Scouts...

Everything you ever wanted to know about the pink Cadillac and more. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “About Mary Kay.” Mary Kay , https://www.marykay.com/en-us/about-mary-kay .  Ash, Mary Kay. Mary Kay: The Story of America's Most Dynamic Businesswoman . HarperCollins, 1994. Internet Archive . Conradt, Stacy. “The Story Behind the Mary Kay Pink Cadillac.” Mental...

One book salesman started a series of events leading to the existence of aftershave inside a bust of George Washington. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “The Best Beauty Story Ever Told: 135 Facts About Avon.” AVON , 17 September 2021, https://www.avon.com/blog/avon-insider/132/The-Best-Beauty-Story-Ever-Told---135-Years-of-AVON .  “Key dates in Avon's history.” R...

Salesman, politician, athlete … What can’t this peanut man do? Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: @HittingandRunning. “Mr. Peanut's Guide to Tennis (1969) : r/10s.” Reddit , 17 January 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/10s/comments/199anru/mr_peanuts_guide_to_tennis_1969/ . Franz, Kathleen. “Mr. Peanut Was the Creation of an Italian-American Schoolboy.” Smithsonian Mag...

“If you/don’t know/whose signs/these are/you can’t have/driven very far …" Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “Burma-Shave: A History – The Razor Company.” The Razor Company , 14 March 2021, https://www.therazorcompany.com/blogs/history-of-wet-shaving/burma-shave-a-history .  Lee, Annabel. “History of Burma Shave Road Signs.” ROUTE Magazine , https://www.routemagaz...

How valentine cards went from puzzles and insults to mass-produced classroom packs Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: “Before Greeting Card Companies, Valentine Writers Helped the Tongue-Tied.” PBS , 14 February 2011, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/before-the-valentine-card . Fabian, Sarah. “A history of Valentine’s Day celebrations–from fertility festivals to the fi...

What do chewing gum and the Alamo have in common? Listen to find out. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Devins, Susan. Chew on This! Somerville House, USA, 1998. Internet Archive .  Fiegl, Amanda. “A Brief History of Chewing Gum | Arts & Culture.” Smithsonian Magazine , 16 June 2009, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-chewing-gum-6102019...

Why did Coke change its formula for 77 days in 1985? What did it taste like? And why did it fail? Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Allen, Frederick. Secret Formula: How Brilliant Marketing and Relentless Salesmanship Made Coca-Cola the Best-known Product in the World . HarperBusiness, 1994. Internet Archive .  Greene, Nick. “What Was Coke II?” Mental Floss , 29 July 2...

What could go wrong selling a drink that spoils in sunlight? Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: O'Neill, Natalie. “What is Crystal Pepsi? The Story Behind the Soft-Drink's Rise & Fall.” Thrillist , 22 January 2020, https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/what-is-crystal-pepsi .  Peters, Lucia. “What Ever Happened to Crystal Pepsi? A Brief History of the Clear...

We’re talking about where TaB got its name and why the “Diet” in Diet Coke was originally uncapitalized. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: John, Steven. “13 Discontinued Diet Sodas You'll Never See Again.” Eat This Not That , 24 March 2022, https://www.eatthis.com/discontinued-diet-sodas/ .  Siegal, Benjamin. “Sweet Nothing—the Triumph Of Diet Soda (Jun 06,Vol:57 I...

E40: Dear Abby Find out why the ghost of Ann Landers is probably furious we chose to do an episode about Abigail Van Buren. Instagram and More: https://linktr.ee/hypnotichistory Sources: Aronson, Virginia. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren . Chelsea House Publishers, 1999. Internet Archive .  Boldrini, Giovanna. “9 Times ''Dear Abby'' Proved She Was The Best At Giving Advice!!” Lit...