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Isaac Kaufmann Funk founded the American publishing company called Funk & Company in 1875. The company changed its name to Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877 when Adam Willis Wagnalls became Funk’s partner. The company initially published religious books but shifted to reference materials in 1890 with its first Literary Digest. The company is most well known for A Standard Dictionary of the English Language and the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia. The dictionary was first published in 1894 and continued to have revised editions until 1943. The encyclopedia was first published in 1912, and continued to be published throughout the 1970s. Customers could purchase volumes of the encyclopedias at their local grocery stores. Funk & Wagnalls Company was sold in 1965 to Reader’s Digest.

As a well known publisher of encyclopedias, the phrase, "look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls," referred to someone condescendingly using a large word in conversation that the other person would have to research to learn the meaning by using their encyclopedia.

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The Middy and Westy Fun Klub was a club that was associated with the Midwest Dairy Corporation. The Midwest Dairy Corporation, at its most productive, covered the country from the Great Lakes region all the way to Mexico. In the Monroe Star, May 17, 1950, there was a brief article announcing the purchase of Gold Creameries by the Chicago based Midwest Dairy Corporation. This article also explains that the dairy had farms in 10 states prior to the purchase. Middy and Westy were “the Midwest Quality and Flavor Twins” that not only served as a marketing tool, they also functioned as the representatives of the Fun Klub. Although it is difficult to find information about the Klub itself, two articles were found where Middy and Westy were mentioned. In the Hope Star newspaper on March 22, 1951 Middy and Westy appear to announce a give away of two Schwinn bicycles. The Arkansas based paper explains that one “prize coupon” will be issued for every five Midwest Dairy Corporation bottle caps or carton tabs. The prize coupons all go into a drawing for the Schwinn bikes. Middy and Westy also appear in an article in the Daily Register (Harrisburg, IL) on April 4, 1950 for an Easter egg coloring contest. 

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Foster Farms started initially in Modesto, California when Max and Verda Foster bought land in 1939. The farm began their farming endeavor by raising turkeys. The business grew throughout the 1950s and continued to have a commitment to raising the highest quality chickens that they could. The company continues to operate on the principal of raising and selling high-quality poultry to this day. In the 1960s the company outgrew their facilities in Modesto and decided to move to Livingston, California where it continues to reside today. An article in the Bakersfield Californian, that ran on February 17, 1971, explained Foster Farm’s new campaign:
Support Your Local Chicken!” The advertising line was created “to make housewives very much aware of the fact that Foster Farms chickens are fresher because they’re delivered to the store daily, in competition with out-of-state chicken which may be several days en route.” (pg. 30) The slogan was intended to be a more creative way of saying that the Foster Farms chickens are “fresh.”

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Founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 15 August 1889, the Ancient Order of Foresters of America (AOFA) had nearly one hundred and sixteen thousand members six years later.  AOFA broke from the Ancient Order of Foresters, which it claims has its origins in thirteenth century England.  In 1896, the AOFA changed its name to the Foresters of America.  AOFA was one of many fraternal organization between the end of the US Civil War and the end of WWI.  Fraternal organization membership totaled around thirteen percent of the US male population.  

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Bristol Street Motors is the name of a chain of car dealerships that are located throughout England. They specialize in selling Hyundai's and of course Ford's. Bristol Street Motors was founded over a hundred years ago in Birmingham, which makes them one of England's oldest retailers of motor vehicles.

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First Security Corporation was a banking holding company that had branches and subsidiaries throughout much of the western United States. The main branches were First Security Bank of Utah, N.A., First Security Bank of Idaho, N.A., First Security Bank of Oregon. The bank specialized in real estate loans for much of its history. In 2000, First Security Corporation was bought off by Wells Fargo, and the company ceased to exist.

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"Fer sure, fer sure" is a typical "Valspeak" phrase from the 1980s. Other phrases include, "bag your face," "grody," and "barf me out." 

"Fer sure, fer sure" are lyrics from Valley Girl by Frank Zappa and his daughter, Moon Unit Zappa. The song was released as a single off of the 1982 album, Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch. 

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Unique to Indiana, the Pet and Hobby Club was created by the Women’s Department of the Indiana Farm Bureau.  With membership open to children 10 and under, the program included education about health and safety on the farm as well as home economics.  As the meetings for the Pet and Hobby Club took place at the same time as the IFB county meetings, the program also sought to encourage the attendance of young farming couples with children.  In 1995, the program was renamed “Little Farmers.”  

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Located in Evanston, Illinois, the Evanston Library has three locations: the Main Library, the North Branch and the Chicago Avenue Branch and serves a population of over 73,000.  Patrons also have access to the catalogs of 22 other public libraries associated with the Cooperative Computer Services (CCS) consortium.  The Evanston Library Association was founded in 1870 and opened its headquarters on the 2^nd floor at 613 Davis Street in 1871.