1

Blockbuster

Image: Blockbuster LLC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

During the ’80s and ’90s, Friday nights had an almost mandatory stop: Blockbuster. Founded in Dallas, Texas, the blue-and-yellow giant brought Hollywood into Americans’ living rooms with its VHS. At its peak, it had nearly 10,000 stores worldwide.

But something happened in 1997: Netflix. First a DVD-by-mail competitor, Netflix became a streaming service in 2007, and that was one of the main events that helped bring Blockbuster down. By 2010, the iconic brand had filed for bankruptcy. There is only one remaining store located in Bend, Oregon.

2

Sears

Image: Mike Kalasnik from Jersey City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve all spent an afternoon at Sears. From clothes and accessories to home goods and tools, Sears simply had it all. Founded in 1892 as a mail-order company, it grew throughout the 20th century into a retail powerhouse with hundreds of stores, becoming the shopping stop for many American families.

But as shopping habits changed and competition from giants like Walmart intensified, Sears failed to reinvent itself. After years of decline, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Today, only a handful of stores remain.

3

Pontiac

Image: Ali Moharami

If we say GTO, Firebird, or Trans Am, you know exactly what we’re talking about, right? Of course you do! Pontiac was once one of America’s most iconic car brands, reaching its peak of fame between the 1950s and 1970s.

But after a financial crisis, General Motors decided to discontinue Pontiac in 2010 as it struggled to keep pace with other divisions like Chevrolet and Cadillac.

4

Oldsmobile

Image: Hombre

Pontiac wasn’t the only big name General Motors said goodbye to. Many of us still remember Oldsmobile, founded in 1897 and once a symbol of American innovation. But as sales began to decline through the 1990s and early 2000s, the brand slowly faded and was discontinued in 2004.

5

Woolworth’s

Image: Mike Petrucci

Do you remember Woolworth’s? Founded in New York in 1879, it introduced a revolutionary idea for its time: everyday items at low, fixed prices.

As a pioneer of the five-and-dime store, it grew into one of the largest retail chains in the world. But, much like what happened with Sears, fierce competition had a huge impact, and the brand eventually closed its last American stores in 1997.

6

Compaq

Image: Brian R. Lueck, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many of us had a Compaq at some point. Founded in 1982 in Houston, Texas, this personal computer brand quickly became one of the biggest names in the tech world. However, as new competitors filled the market in the 1990s, sales began to decline. Over time, the brand faded away, and by the early 2010s, Compaq was gone.

7

Pan Am

Image: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Whether you loved flying or not, everyone knew Pan Am. Founded in 1927 as a small mail carrier, it grew into one of America’s most famous airlines, serving millions of passengers around the world.

Until the 1970s, it was practically synonymous with air travel. But the 80s arrived with a mix of rising fuel costs, competition, and financial troubles that led to its bankruptcy in 1991. Did you ever fly with them?

8

TaB

Image: luthfi alfarizi

In the 1960s, the concept of "diet soda" gained popularity, and that’s when Coca-Cola introduced TaB, which claimed to be "sugar-free!" on its famous pink can. But when Diet Coke arrived, TaB’s sales collapsed, and the competition was over. Still, during the ’70s and ’80s, TaB had its big moment in the spotlight: You either loved it or hated it, no in-between. Which side were you on?

9

Borders

Image: brewbooks from near Seattle, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In recent decades, digital technology has become a major part of our lives. And while it has brought many benefits, it has also hurt certain industries. Borders was one of them.

The rise of online retailers, the emergence of e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle, and the growing popularity of digital books caused the bookstore chain to lose ground. Unable to keep up with the competition, sales declined so badly that the company declared bankruptcy in 2011.

10

Burger Chef

Image: John Margolies, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Some may say that McDonald’s has no competition. But it did: Burger Chef. Founded in 1954 in Indianapolis, it was one of the first fast-food restaurants and quickly gained a huge customer base.

By the 1970s, it had become one of the Golden Arches’ biggest competitors, reaching more than 1,200 locations nationwide. It was even the first to introduce the "kids’ meal." However, everything changed in the 1980s, when the company was bought out, and many of its restaurants were converted to other brands. Its last remaining store closed in 1996.

1

1. Goetta (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Image: Austin Ban

Goetta is a mixture of ground meat, steel-cut oats, and spices that Cincinnati has been frying up since German immigrants brought the recipe over in the 19th century. It's pronounced "get-uh," and locals are passionate enough about it to hold an annual Goettafest.

The oats give it a texture that's simultaneously crispy and tender when pan-fried, creating something that's part sausage patty, part savory oatcake. Cincinnatians slice it thick and serve it alongside eggs, or get creative with goetta burgers and sandwiches.

2

2. Pasties (Michigan's Upper Peninsula)

Image: Annie Spratt

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is practically its own country, and its national dish is the pasty— a handheld meat pie that Cornish miners brought to the copper mines in the 1800s . These aren't dainty; they're hefty D-shaped pockets of pastry stuffed with beef, potatoes, rutabaga, and onions that could double as hand warmers in a blizzard.

The genius of the pasty was its portability and built-in plate. Today, you'll find pasty shops scattered across the U.P., each claiming the most authentic recipe.

3

3. Frito Pie (New Mexico)

Image: Dollar Gill

This isn't plated food— it's literally served in a torn-open bag of Fritos corn chips, topped with red or green chile, cheese, and onions . You eat it with a plastic fork while standing at a high school football game or state fair.

The dish embodies New Mexico's chile-obsessed culture, where "red or green?" is practically the state motto. The Fritos get soggy in all the right ways, absorbing the spicy chile while maintaining just enough crunch to remind you they're there.

4

4. Scrapple (Mid-Atlantic, especially Pennsylvania)

Image: Theme Photos

Scrapple is what happens when Pennsylvania Dutch settlers decided that absolutely nothing from a pig should go to waste. It's a loaf made from pork scraps, cornmeal, and spices, then sliced and fried until crispy .

The texture is distinctive—crispy on the outside, soft and almost pâté-like inside. Philadelphians and Delawareans grow up eating it alongside eggs, though the rest of the country largely treats it with deep suspicion.

5

5. Burgoo (Kentucky)

Image: Artur Kornakov

Kentucky's contribution to the stew hall of fame is burgoo, a thick, slow-cooked concoction that traditionally contained whatever meat was available—sometimes mutton, sometimes squirrel. Today's versions stick to more conventional proteins like chicken, pork, and beef, mixed with every vegetable imaginable in a tomato-based broth.

Burgoo is serious social food, cooked in enormous quantities for church gatherings, Derby parties, and political rallies. The cooking process takes hours, sometimes overnight, until everything breaks down into a thick, hearty mixture that's more texture than individual ingredients.

6

6. Chicken Bog (South Carolina)

Image: Douglas Fehr

It's a one-pot dish of chicken, rice, sausage, and spices cooked together until the rice absorbs all the flavorful liquid . The "bog" refers to the thick, creamy consistency, though no actual wetlands are harmed in the making.

This dish turns up at family reunions, church suppers, and fundraisers throughout the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. It's essentially a drier, heartier cousin of chicken and rice, with smoked sausage adding a smoky punch.

7

7. Tavern Sandwich (Iowa)

Image: Jessica Tan

Iowa's tavern sandwich is what happens when a sloppy joe goes to finishing school. It's seasoned ground beef served on a bun, but unlike a sloppy joe, there's no tomato-based sauce . Just perfectly spiced, slightly steamed ground beef piled high and falling apart in the most dignified way possible.

The sandwich gained fame through the Maid-Rite restaurant chain, founded in Iowa in 1926. The meat is cooked with a secret blend of seasonings and stays loose rather than being formed into a patty.

8

8. Boiled Peanuts (The Deep South)

Image: Tom Herman

These soggy legumes are sold from roadside stands in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, and beyond, often out of slow cookers perched on card tables. They're warm, salty, and utterly unlike any peanut you've eaten at a ballgame .

The texture shocks first-timers—soft and almost bean-like rather than crunchy. You pop open the shell, squeeze the peanuts into your mouth, and toss the hull. Cajun-spiced versions add heat to the mix.

9

9. Runza (Nebraska)

Image: ClickerHappy

Nebraska's state snack is the runza, a rectangular pocket of yeast dough stuffed with seasoned ground beef, cabbage, and onions . German-Russian immigrants brought this handheld meal to the Great Plains, where it became so beloved that an entire fast-food chain bears its name.

The beauty of the runza is its portability and balanced flavors. The sweet, slightly tangy cabbage cuts through the savory beef, all wrapped in soft, golden bread. Nebraskans eat them at football games, after school, and whenever they need portable comfort.

10

10. Slug Burger (Mississippi)

Image: Mike

Mississippi's slug burger has nothing to do with garden pests and everything to do with Depression-era ingenuity. When meat was expensive, cooks in Corinth stretched ground beef by mixing it with flour, potato flakes, or even cornmeal before forming patties and deep-frying them .

Today, this crispy, slightly bready burger remains a regional treasure, especially during the annual Slugburger Festival. The extenders give it a unique texture—crunchier outside, denser inside than a regular burger. It's served on white bread or a bun with mustard, pickles, and onions.

1

Miniature Graceland

Image: Florian Herzog

If you are on the East Coast and you are not planning a trip to the South to visit the real Graceland in Memphis anytime soon, you can always settle for Roanoke, Virginia's miniature version.

The handcrafted structures at Miniature Graceland include the mansion itself, a replica of the Elvis Presley Car Museum, as well as the King's birthplace in the city of Tupelo. This magical tribute was built in 1980 by Don Epperly, an Elvis fan, on the property next to his home. Over time, the attraction deteriorated, but a local group is now in charge of maintaining the site, which can still be visited.

2

World’s largest Christmas store

Image: Brandi Alexandra

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan, is the self-proclaimed world's largest Christmas store. And no wonder—the amount of electricity required to run the 100,000 lights that illuminate the sales floor costs approximately $1,250 per day.

The salesroom showcases more than 350 decorated trees, and you can find decorations and gifts from 70 countries, as well as over 150 styles of nutcrackers. Also, Bronner's has in-house artists who customize over 100,000 ornaments annually. This place is so fantastic that hundreds of celebrities have visited it. So, now you know—if you're ever in Frankenmuth, chances are you'll be rubbing elbows with a Hollywood star while shopping for your next Christmas tree.

3

Missouri’s Mount Rushmore

Image: Takefreebies

Although often overshadowed by the original Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Missouri’s Mount Rushmore with Fake Celebrity Heads still manages to attract a crowd. The "monument," located in Branson since 1996, includes sculpted faces of John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin.

This attraction is part of the Hollywood Wax Museum and is featured on the exterior of the building. Inside, you can find wax replicas of dozens of iconic stars —a true photo opportunity! But, if you get bored, Branson offers plenty of other attractions for the curious tourist. Just next door to the museum, you’ll find the Castle of Chaos, the world's first 5D ride and game, as well as Hannah's Maze of Mirrors.

4

World’s Largest Egg

Image: Daniele Levis Pelusi

There have been four versions of the "World's Largest Egg" throughout the history of Winlock, Washington, where it is displayed. The current version is made of fiberglass, weighs 1,200 pounds , and sits atop a ten-foot steel pole in the center of town. But why an egg?

Until the 1950s, Winlock was America's second-largest egg-producing town, and its residents were very proud of this distinction. In fact, the first "big egg" they built to celebrate it, a canvas version, dates back to 1923. In 1944, it was replaced by a plastic version, and in the 1960s, a fiberglass model took its place. The current version, crafted in 1993, was made possible thanks to a local chicken hatcheryman.

5

Virginia’s Dinosaur Kingdom

Image: Fausto García-Menéndez

If you ever wondered what would happen if giant dinosaurs had fought during the Civil War, look no further than the Dinosaur Kingdom in Natural Bridge, Virginia. Visitors to this quirky destination are treated to scenes of giant plastic lizards devouring Union soldiers in re-enactments of famous battles.

But it’s not all fantasy—there's some truth to it all. The park's 30 fiberglass statues are built around the premise that paleontologists discovered dinosaurs in 1863. This unique attraction was created in 2005 by local artist Mark Cline, who was inspired by the movie The Valley of Gwangi, in which cowboys discover living dinosaurs in a Mexican valley.

6

Thomas Edison’s Last Breath

Image: Zach Lucero

Who wouldn’t want to capture the soul of a loved one before they passed away? Believe it or not, that's what American industrialist Henry Ford did in 1931. Ford considered Thomas Edison a hero and a role model. In fact, as a young man, he took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company while working on his first experimental automobile. Edison, impressed by young Ford’s inventiveness, eventually became his friend.

As the legend goes, Ford asked Edison's son to sit by the inventor's deathbed. Believing that the soul left the body with one’s dying breath, Ford captured the final gasp of his dear friend in a test tube. The artifact, labeled "Edison’s Last Breath?", is now on display at Henry Ford’s Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. If you ever visit, you'll find other interesting memorabilia, like George Washington's camp bed and the rocker in which Lincoln was shot.

7

The Golden Driller

Image: Zbynek Burival

To celebrate the discovery of vast oil reserves in the area, the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, created a statue depicting an oil worker and presented it at the International Petroleum Exposition in 1953. The monument became so popular that in 1966, a new twenty-two-ton concrete and iron statue of a golden man standing next to an oil derrick was permanently installed in front of the Tulsa Expo Center.

The Golden Driller stands seventy-six feet tall and can withstand a 200 mph tornado. In 1979, it was declared Oklahoma’s official state monument. A plaque at its base reads: "To the men of the petroleum industry who by their vision and daring have created from God’s abundance a better life for mankind."

8

Glass Beach

Image: Kevin Lanceplaine

From 1950 to 1967, the citizens of Fort Bragg, California, dumped tons of garbage onto a nearby beach. Over the decades, the ocean transformed the refuse into thousands of small, smooth, colored glass pebbles that still litter the shoreline today.

Now known as Glass Beach, this area adjacent to MacKerricher State Park attracts thousands of treasure seekers each year. The beach is accessible by foot via a short climb down the cliffs, although collecting the remaining glass is discouraged by State Park Rangers.

9

Hometown of Superman

Image: Zachariah Aussi

Although the rural town of Metropolis, Illinois, is a far cry from the bustling, imaginary city featured in the Superman comics, it has fully embraced its superhero ties. In 1972, Metropolis proudly declared itself the "Hometown of Superman."

A fifteen-foot bronze statue of the Man of Steel stands on Main Street in front of the county courthouse, while Lois Lane has her own statue just a few blocks away. If this inspires you to visit Metropolis, mark your calendar for the second weekend of June. Every year, Superman fans from around the world gather here for the Superman Celebration , which features discussion panels, costume contests, and appearances by celebrity guests.

10

Wonder Tower

Image: Martin Podsiad

One hundred miles east of Denver, in Genoa, Colorado, sits the World’s Wonder View Tower, a tribute to all things weird and obscure. In reality, it was a roadside attraction built in the mid-1920s by American showman P.T. Barnum as a sort of tourist trap. The promoters claimed that if guests climbed to the top, they could allegedly view six different states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

For years, the sixty-five-foot tower housed a museum and gift shop featuring stuffed two-headed animals, a collection of 50,000 glass bottles, rooster eyeglasses, and scores of other curiosities. Unfortunately, today the tower is closed to the public due to the owner’s death. Nevertheless, visitors can still admire the weird-looking structure from the outside and, we assure you, it’s totally worth it!