At its peak in 1882, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad (by traffic and revenue), the largest transportation enterprise, and the largest corporation in the world. In 1968, it merged with it’s rival New York Central Railroad, but the networks integrated poorly and the railroad filed for bankruptcy two years later. This was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at the time.
Ayds Candy was initially introduced in 1940 as a diet aid and appetite suppressant. They claimed the product could cause the user to “lose up to 10 pounds in 5 days, without dieting or exercising.”
By the mid-1980s, public awareness of AIDS brought notoriety to the brand due to the phonetic similarity of names and the fact that the disease caused immense weight loss in patients.
After sales plummeted, the candy was rebranded to “Aydslim” by adding “slim” to its name. After that failed it was named “Diet Ayds.” Marketing strategists criticized both choices since it still contained the name of the disease.
In 1995, Teacher Barbie was recalled because her lack of panties caused media controversy.
In 1989, the game had a singular obsession with the rapid accumulation of wealth for the purpose of acquiring luxury real estate and firing people.
In 2000, this version featured Excite@Home, iVillage, CNet, About.com, Ask Jeeves, Alta Vista, Lycos, & MCI WorldCom.
In 2005, came complete with straitjacket and commitment papers — was a hot seller before advocates for the mentally ill protested.
In 1999, this created electric shock therapy for a more toned, youthful-looking face.
In 2009, this doll “impressed upon kids that breastfeeding is natural;” latches on to the petals, where it emits a suckling sound, before it has to be burped to stop it from crying.
In 2000, this doll had the unanticipated tendency to collide with faces, teeth, and eyes. There were 170 reported injuries.
Recalled in 2007, this lets your child experience the joys of picking up dog poop! You put little brown food pellets in Tanner’s mouth, push his tail down, and then he poops them right out. The little poo pellets are a hazard to a kid’s health.
