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The Edison Illuminating Company was founded by Thomas Edison. In 1882, the company began operating in New York using Edison's patented electricity distribution system. The system made it possible for homes and business to purchase electric lighting at a price that was competitive with existing gas utilities. By it's 50th anniversary in 1932, the company was the largest electrical service provider in the world, and it still operates today under the name Con Edison.

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In 1909 Evans City, PA was a small town of about 1000 people with a train station and a brand new Trolley line. The train depot was famous because it was built over the Breakneck Creek and therefore was the only train depot built entirely over water. The Westminster United Presbyterian Church, in Evans City, was founded in 1837 and a new building was dedicated in 1888.

The Young People's Christian Union (Y. P. C. U.) is the name of a youth group affiliated with the United Presbyterian Church. The Y. P. C. U. was founded in 1889 to organize youth in the church and encourage them to be engaged in church work. They held yearly meetings with two delegates from each church or school. The 1909 meeting was held at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois.

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Wonder Bread is a type of bread sold in North America, first introduced in the United States in 1921 by Indianapolis-based Taggart Baking Company. During the 1930s, it became one of the first breads to be sold pre-sliced. 

Wonder Bread became a staple of the twentieth century American diet. Until the 1960s, Wonder Bread made up 25 to 30 percent of the daily calories consumed by Americans (Bobrow-Strain, 2012). The popularity of Wonder Bread symbolized the shift in American consumerism toward mass-produced manufactured goods. This has shifted in the decades since as Americans ideas about healthy eating evolved, and Wonder Bread declined in popularity despite some attempts to produce healthier products.

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Hey Bob Show was created by Robert J Hassett and existed as a children's radio show from 1949 until the mid 1950s. It was later renamed Hey Bob Enterprises, Inc. to reflect the diversity of the company. Hey Bob used entertainment to teach children to to be safe and created the "Safety Legion Club" for them to join. To further promote safety in the community, Hey Bob created a safety dummy that was used during a safety contest between Des Moines, IA and Omaha, NE. At the end of the contest Hassett made the dummy a mascot for Hey Bob's Safety Legion Club.

The Continental Baking Company, who are the makers of Wonder Bread, was one of Hey Bob's loyal sponsors. Wonder Bread was first sold on May 21, 1921. The slogan "Builds Strong Bodies 8 Ways!" refers to the eight nutrients they added to the flour. When bread was made nutrients were removed in the process, however a government program established in the 1940s required all companies to return vital nutrients to the bread. 

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In 1885 W.S. Wagar opened an ice cream shop in Troy, New York, making 100 quarts a day using a fifteen-quart freezer he inherited from his father. Forty years later, Wagar had opened several ice cream stores and began selling wholesale for 15 other confectionary stores. His modern ice-cream plant could produce 12,000 quarts a day. In 1926 Wagar took out a full-page ad in the Troy Times declaring “The Most Important Announcement Ever Made by an Ice Cream Manufacturer” and proclaimed that Wagar’s intended to start including more heavy cream in their product than any other manufacturer. Malcolm K Laustrup Sr., the great-grandson of W.S. Wagar, opened his own ice cream parlor selling Wagar’s ice cream in 1978 in Lake George, New York, and remained in operation for 26 years.

Red text with the image of Charlie Chocks on a blue polka dot circle with red, white, and blue banners coming off the sides on a white background. 

Charlie Chocks was the character used to promote the Chocks line of children’s vitamins, which was the first chewable vitamin for children. The vitamins were introduced in 1960, and Charlie was used to market the product during Saturday morning programming. The character wore a flight helmet and looked somewhat like a superhero. By the early 1970s, all advertising of the product had ceased, as the company had introduced the Flintstones and Bugs Bunny vitamins, which eventually replaced the Chocks children’s line.

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Vitality Feeds was a poultry food produced by the Rosenbaum Brothers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The brothers included Joseph, Emmanuel, and Morris, who emigrated to Iowa from Germany with their family circa 1850. Joseph Rosenbaum was a veteran of the American Civil War, having fought for the Union in the 31st Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He and his brothers owned and operated several successful businesses in Iowa, such as livestock and feed enterprises and a bank. In 1874, they sold all of their assets in Iowa and moved to Chicago to set up Rosenbaum Brothers & Company. In Chicago, their company revolved around livestock and grain. A successful and important businessman, Joseph was a member of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago. From 1908-1909, Joseph was the Illinois Department Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and the 43rd encampment in Aurora, IL. He was presented the key to the city of Aurora as a show of esteem and goodwill.

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For the first three years, Mattel made Hot Wheels toy cars (1968-1971), they included collector buttons. The marketing department developed the concept to encourage child-to-child marketing. The tab was included on the button so a child could easily fold it over a pocket or belt. The button designs are credited to Otto Kuhni, who illustrated early Hot Wheels product packaging.

The Turbofire Hot Wheel model was a 1969 release, capitalizing on Hot Wheels' immense success in their first year. It was one of four Hot Wheels to be the first designed in-house (by Ira Gilford) instead of being based on existing custom cars.

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Think Big! was a retail store established by artists Phyllis Prinz and Bob Malkin in 1979. The company was known for selling products like nonfunctioning five-foot versions of Crayola crayons and six-foot number 2 pencils. At the height of its popularity, the company sold 35 various items and grossed $1 million. Several companies like Crayola allowed Think Big! to obtain the rights to items that were trademarked to cash in on the company's publicity. Think Big! Inc. was sold to Martin Lawrence Limited Editions, Inc., an art retailer, in 1993.