TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
FRANK J. SCOTT’S GREAT GREEN MANIFESTO
In 1870, a landscape
architect published a book that changed the face of America—and
continues to ruin weekends.
2. THE
BIRTH OF COOL........... 12
Willis Carrier’s 1903 invention affected
everything from architecture to the balance of political
power to the environment from which it insulates us.
3.
HOW THIN BECAME IN........23
Dr. Lulu Hunt Peters published the first
weight-loss bestseller in 1918. Americans have been counting
caloriesever since.
4. ALFRED KINSEY'S HONEYMOON ......33
His
research on sexuality changed the way the world thought about
sex. But long before that, in 1921, he faced an important moment
of truth.
5. THE
RISE OF TACKY CHIC...........45
In the early 1930s, a former billboard
artist rediscovered the ancient technique of painting on black
velvet, spawning a golden era of bad taste.
6. LES
PAUL’S “LOG”..................... 58
The electric guitar transformed
music and became the sexiest accessory in pop culture. But n 1947
it was homely, heavy and utterly ridiculous.
7.WRESTLING
WITH A CONTRADICTION.... 70
In 1947, TV wrestler Gorgeous George strutted
in lingerie, plucked bobby pins frorn his blond curls, and paved the way
for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Kiss.
8. THE WAR AGAINST
WRINKLES.... 81
The advent of pennanent -press clothing in 1957culminated a
5,000-year battle against messiness, and rescued American men
from sloth.
9. THE
KING OF LEER.............. 90
In 1957, Robert Harrison’s Confidential
magazine created a societyof voyeurs by piying into celebrities
‘private lives.
10. THE WONDER GARMENT......107
Pantyhose
were a landmark innovation when they were
conceived in 1953, and eventually
grew into a symbol of women’s
liberation, or women’s enslavement,
depending on whom you ask.
11.THAWS AND EFFECT...119
What
do do with 260 tons of leftover turkey? In 1953, C.A. Swanson
&
Sons created "convenience food" and revolutionized the
way American families eat--and interact.
12. HELL ON WHEELS........129
On “E-day” in 1957, Ford rolled out the Edsel as a marvel of
technology, product research and consumer
manipulation. The car
crash that
followed forever changed the American marketplace.
13. THE FIRST ANGRY MIKE MAN....143
The combative talk-show host is a raging cliche of modern
media.
But in the early 1960s—before Rush and Howard, before
Mort,Geraldo and Jerry—Joe Pyne was on the air.
14. THE HIGH-TECH DIAPER.....155
Diapers
have been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until 1966
that two still-unheralded inventors used molecular chemistry to solve
an
age-old problem.
15. WHEN
MAYHEM WENT POSTMODERN....165
“Night
of the Living Dead”—the “Citizen Kane” of low-budget,
cannibalistic zombie thrillers—spawned a new cinematic genre
16. DAWN OF THE POINT-CLICK CULTURE...177
On
December 9,1968, a visionary comp uter geek showed the world
how man and his machines eventually would interact.
17. THE RIGHTEOUS STUFF....189
In 1976, with Julius Erving's one flamboyant feat of
athleticism, professional sports suddenly got funky.
18. BETTY
FORD’S INTERVENTION...202
Confessions went from anonymous whispers to public declarations
to a steady roar on the talk -show circuit. It began April
1, 1978.
19. FROM E. T. TO ASTROTURFING...214
Most
people understood the difference between a sales pitch
and
real life, at least until 1982 and that adorable alien with a
penchant for peanut butter.
20. THE
TOINK! HEARD ROUND THE WORLD...225
In
1991, an obscure Southern California golf-club maker introduced
a revolutionary new
driver, the Big Bertha, that raised self-
respect instead
of lowering scores..