In 1936, the RAF targeted military sites, airfields, warships and ammo depots, but they were also responsible for distributing propaganda by dropping leaflets onto cities and towns. In the same year, Wernher von Braun, an ingenious young rocket engineer, was put to task by the Third Reich to develop a new weapon.

Three years later, an RAF air raid on Berlin incensed Führer so much that he ordered a mass bombing campaign on British shores over an eight-month period (from September 1940 to May 1941) that became known as the Blitz.

Despite killing almost 40,000 civilians, the Blitz failed to succeed in achieving its objective of, ultimately, paving the way for a land invasion. But it arguably resulted in the Allies adopting a new military strategy with the arrival of Air Chief, Marshal Sir Arthur ‘Bomber’ Harris in 1942, alongside a modern fleet of aircraft that consisted of the now legendary Avro Lancaster bomber.

Harris’ believed that the war against Germany could be won from the air, in his words, ‘bring masonry crashing down on top of the Boche, to kill the Boche and to terrify the Boche’. Harris’ intention wasn’t just to target oil refineries or factories, but to employ ‘area bombing’ which would also indiscriminately hit civilians in the surrounding target areas. For all intents and purposes, bring the Blitz to Germany, but on a much grander scale.

By 1945, it was evident that the effective targeting of fuel depots combined with a disregard for civilian casualties was having a positive effect on the Aliies’ campaign. This was despite over 55,000 of Harris’ aircrew dying during the effort.

Meanwhile, Führer was ready to reveal a deadly counter-offensive that wouldn’t cost him men or aircraft. Launched just over a year before World War II concluded, the V-1 was an unmanned pulse jet engine with a maximum speed of 400mph carrying 850 grams of explosives guided by a gyro servo system.

There is a cynical simplicity to the V-1 that sets it apart from its contemporaries. There was never any intention to target military infrastructure, instead, it served just two functions: fear and destruction. Indeed, the ‘V’ stands for ‘vergeltungswaffen’ meaning ‘vengeance weapon’.

The ‘doodlebug’ or ‘buzzbomb’, as it became known on account of its distinct engine sound, had terrifying potential despite being plagued by mechanical failures and a limited range. The V-1 campaign in Britain only lasted four months after it first hit Swanscombe, Kent on 13th June 1944 before the Allies destroyed all the launch sites in range of the UK. However, V-1s were used to bomb Antwerp, Belgium right up until the end of the war.

A week after the last V-1 hit London, a V-2 reached an altitude of 175 km (109 miles) and became the first-ever rocket to reach space. A few months later on 8th September 1944, the first V-2 smashed into London. While its bloody intent was the same as the V-1, the two machines were significantly different.

Both weapons used a pair of pre-set gyros for navigation, one for direction, one for stability, but the V-1 was powered by a pulsejet engine, a technology that was patented in 1906 by Russian engineer V.V. Karavodin. In basic terms, a pulsejet rocket burned its fuel in quick succession, hence the buzzing sound it made. But the V-2, a liquid propellant rocket engine, burned all of its fuel to generate the 25 metric tons of thrust required to get it into the air.

In addition to reliability, assuming it achieved its objective of reaching five times the speed of sound a minute after take-off, the V-2 could travel more than 3,500 miles per hour for over 200 miles with a 2,200-pound warhead. It was also much more portable than the V-1 and could be fired anywhere from a steel launch pad making it much harder for the Allies to hit it before it was airborne. However, all of these advantages over the V-1 came at a deadly price.

The first successful V-2 test took place on 3rd October 1942, but the Allies got wind of its development and successfully destroyed the factory required to build it. The following year, the subterranean Mittelwerk factory began manufacturing V-2s in earnest, aided by forced labour cynically acquired from the local Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. Between 10,000 to 12,000 prisoners, roughly four times the total number of citizens that were killed by V-2s in London, were worked to death in appalling conditions.

After the war, Wernher von Braun, alongside the entire rocket development team, surrendered to the US. All were spared prosecution. Instead, six months after the last V-2 came down in the UK on 27th March 1945, von Braun and his team of engineers were in New Mexico working on a guided missile system for the US Army Ordinance Corps. In 1960, von Braun became both the director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre and the chief architect of the Saturn V rocket. The very same technology that had been used in the V-2 rockets was now being used to put men on the Moon.

Von Braun, a former member of the notorious SS, became known as the ‘father of space travel’ and went on to become a celebrity in his adopted US, fronting television shows for Walt Disney and counting John F Kennedy as a personal friend. He died of pancreatic cancer in Alexandria, Virginia at age 65 on 16th June 1977.

President Carter made the following statement on hearing the news of his death: ‘To millions of Americans, Wernher von Braun’s name was inextricably linked to our exploration of space and to the creative application of technology. Not just the people of our nation, but all the people of the world have profited from his work. We will continue to profit from his example.’

Images of German soldiers wearing their spiked helmets in the trenches are some of the most recognisable of the First World War.  

The famous ‘pickelhaube’ helmets were ditched in favour or ordinary steel ones in 1916, due to the fact that they were impractical for use in trench warfare.

But it is less well-known that tens of thousands of the infamous head pieces later ended up being displayed on enormous pyramids in New York after Germany’s defeat in the war.

The US erected the structures on Park Avenue – which was temporarily renamed Victory Way – outside Grand Central Station in 1919 as part of a display of captured German equipment.

Along with rifles, bayonets, swords, pistols and even artillery pieces, they were offered for sale and also given as rewards to those who had purchased war bonds.

A new Youtube video by historian Mark Felton delves into the history of the helmet pyramids.

Dr Felton raises the prospect that the helmet worn by future Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler when he was a soldier in the trenches could have been unwittingly bought by an ordinary American.

Like hundreds of thousands of his comrades, Hitler, who served in a Bavarian infantry regiment in the war, exchanged his pickelhaube for a ‘stahlhelm’ steel helmet in 1916.

The helmets were stored along with other equipment in warehouses which fell under US control following Germany’s defeat.

Dr Felton reveals in his video that more than 12,000 leather and metal pickelhauben were used to adorn the wooden pyramids in New York.

The helmet dated from 1842 and had been designed by Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.

However, the design was not practical and offered little protection in the First World War.

When Germany introduced the stahlhelm, head injuries dropped by 73 per cent, according to Dr Felton.

The warehouses containing the pickelhauben fell into US hands when it was assigned an occupation zone in Germany shortly after its defeat to Allied forces.

The helmets and other military supplies and equipment that had been surrendered from November 1918 onwards were then shipped back to the United States.

On hundreds of stalls that were erected on Victory Way, the equipment and weapons were sold off to ordinary citizens.

As a result, the US now contains one of the largest supplies of German spiked helmets in the world.

Victory Way took up several blocks of Park Avenue and was adorned with statues of eagles, ticker tape and banners bearing the colours of the American flag.

The US only joined the war in the latter half of 1917 and needed to pay off the debts it had accrued in not only fighting but also providing equipment to allies including Britain.

As well as making money from the sale of the equipment, the US also gave some of the items to citizens who had bought bonds from the government to fund the war effort.

War bonds acted as a way in which civilians could help to finance the conflict whilst getting a return on their investment later on.

The general sale of the equipment was a success and the Victory Way display was finally dismantled in late 1919. The left overs were sold to private parties.

Dr Felton said: ‘The US government sold captured German military equipment to the highest bidder.

‘All along Victory Way there were stalls staffed by US government contractors where you could purchase German mauser rifles, bayonets, swords, pistols and much else besides.

‘The artillery pieces were also for sale and were often given as premiums to towns who bought a certain number of war bonds.

‘The pickelhauben of the pyramids and the thousands more in storage were also given away as premiums. This time to individuals who purchased a certain value of war bond.

‘This is why the US is full of pickelhaube even though they were withdrawn before US entered the war.’

In June 1916, amidst the tumult of World War I, a poignant scene unfolded as the troops of the 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, part of the 29th Division, marched resolutely to the trenches. This solemn moment, captured in history, serves as a poignant reminder of the courage and sacrifice displayed by soldiers during one of the most tumultuous periods in human history.

The 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, a unit with a storied history dating back to the late 17th century, found themselves embroiled in the Great War, facing the grim realities of trench warfare on the Western Front. June 1916 marked a critical juncture in the conflict, with battles raging and the fate of nations hanging in the balance.

As the troops of the 4th Battalion prepared to march to the trenches, they carried with them the weight of duty and the resolve to confront the horrors of war with unwavering determination. Clad in their uniforms, with rifles slung over their shoulders and hearts filled with resolve, these brave soldiers marched forward, ready to confront the unknown challenges that awaited them in the trenches.

The journey to the trenches was not merely a physical one; it was a journey of the spirit, marked by courage, camaraderie, and an unshakable sense of duty. Despite the looming specter of danger and the grim reality of combat, the soldiers of the 4th Battalion remained steadfast in their commitment to their country and to each other.

The photograph capturing this poignant moment in history offers a glimpse into the lives of these brave soldiers, frozen in time as they march towards an uncertain future. Each face tells a story of sacrifice, resilience, and determination, embodying the spirit of those who served on the front lines during World War I.

For the troops of the 4th Battalion, Worcestershire Regiment, the journey to the trenches was a testament to their valor and their willingness to endure unimaginable hardships in the service of a greater cause. It was a journey marked by courage in the face of adversity and a steadfast commitment to upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy.

As we reflect on this historic moment, let us remember the sacrifices of those who marched to the trenches in June 1916, and let us honor their memory by striving for a world where peace and understanding prevail. Their legacy lives on in the annals of history, serving as a timeless reminder of the enduring human spirit in the face of adversity.

The 1998 epic film Saving Private Ryan is one of the greatest, most accurate film representations of the Second World War. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film received critical success thanks to its all-star cast, visceral imagery and powerful performances. Countless amounts of research, resources, millions of dollars and 40,000 gallons of fake blood went into creating Saving Private Ryan, as did these eight little-known facts.

An innovative take on the war movie genre

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: andrewz / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Saving Private Ryan follows a group of American soldiers tasked with locating Pvt. James Ryan. The former’s three brothers were killed in action (KIA), leaving him the sole son of his family. As part of the Sole Survivor Policy, Capt. John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) and his band of men must find Ryan (Matt Damon) and return him to safety.

Considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made, Saving Private Ryan has influenced how war movies, television series and even video games are produced. The film’s opening sequence, a harrowing first-person view of the Omaha Beach landing during D-Day, transports audiences back in time to experience the atrocities of the war and the sacrifice of over 4,000 brave soldiers.

The year of its release, the film won Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Director (Steven Spielberg), but fans became outraged when it lost the Academy Award for Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love (1998).

Saving Private Ryan was inspired by a non-fiction book

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: lisakenobi / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
While it’s likely not surprising Saving Private Ryan is based on real events that occurred during World War II, film writer Robert Rodat came up with the story and screenplay after receiving a gift from his wife, a non-fiction book titled D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose.

The book led Rodat to a memorial monument in New Hampshire that listed the names of American soldiers killed in combat during the war. He was overcome with emotion at seeing the endless list of names, some of whom were brothers.

The Ryan family in the film is based on four real-life siblings, the Niland brothers, who were deployed during WWII. Two of them were killed in combat, and when a third was thought to be dead, the fourth was removed from combat as per the Sole Survivor Policy.

The powerful and emotional story of the Niland brothers ultimately inspired both Rodat and Steven Spielberg, who originally wanted the film to take on a Boy’s Own style. After interviewing veterans of the war, the director decided his original idea was inappropriate and opted to focus, instead, on recreating the real-life events that unfolded during D-Day and exploring the ultimate sacrifice made to save one man.

The D-Day landing scene wasn’t filmed in Normandy

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: lisakenobi / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Saving Private Ryan‘s visceral opening scene shows the horrors of D-Day unfold as US troops arrive on the shores of Omaha Beach, in Normandy. Spielberg’s depiction of the bloody event is extremely accurate, except for one minor detail: it wasn’t actually filmed in Normandy.

After months of scouting locations, the director couldn’t find a French beach that met his needs, and the actual beaches used in the battle were too developed to use. Others throughout France were also off-limits, with officials denying all of Spielberg’s requests.

After more scouting in England and Scotland failed – both didn’t have the right scenery or amenities for the crew – one of the associate producers recommended Curracloe Beach, in Ireland. Curracloe had the golden sand, steep cliffs and amenities needed to replicate the French landscape.

Real amputees were used

Behind-the-scenes of Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: andrewz / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
The impressive opening sequence of the film follows a group of US soldiers, led by Capt. Miller, as they land on Omaha Beach and push their way inland. The scene is bloody and intense, something important to Spielberg’s vision. “I didn’t want another war-movie stereotype,” he once said. “I was trying to get as close as I could to the experience of what a combat soldier at Omaha Beach might experience.”

This meant that 1,500 people were present to make the scene possible. Four-hundred crew members worked on the technical aspects, while 1,000 Irish Army and Reserve members and dozens of extras donned period-accurate American and German military uniforms. Spielberg also hired 30 real amputees and paraplegics to portray injured and disfigured soldiers.

It cost $12 million to film the landing scene

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: lisakenobi / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Filmed over a period of three-four weeks, the Omaha Beach scene cost a whopping $12 million dollars – a massive chunk of the Saving Private Ryan‘s $65 million budget.

No expense was spared. Costume designer Joanna Johnston reached out to the American company that made boots for soldiers during the war and had them make 2,000 period-accurate pairs using the last batch of dye available from that era. British movie armorer Simon Atherton also supplied period-accurate weapons.

Two real Higgins Boats used in the landings were used in the scene, which Tom Hanks recalled standing on during the first day of shooting:

“I was in the back of the landing craft, and that ramp went down and I saw the first 1-2-3-4 rows of guys just getting blown to bits. In my head, of course, I knew it was special effects, but I still wasn’t prepared for how tactile it was. The air literally went pink and the noise was deafening and there’s bits and pieces of stuff falling on top of you and it was horrifying.”

The cast was sent to boot camp

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: lisakenobi / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Many actors cast in war movies undergo “boot camp,” which teaches them the basics of acting like a soldier. Steven Spielberg decided that, in order to make each actor’s performance as realistic as possible, they needed to learn to “respect what it was like to be a soldier.”

The cast underwent six days of boot camp training, where each actor had to stay in character while running for five miles with stuffed backpacks. They also endured constant wet and cold conditions, received weapons training and performed tough military exercises, all on just three hours of sleep a night.

Matt Damon was the only cast member to not attend, an intentional move by Spielberg to keep him from connecting with the other actors and helping to maintain a feeling of resentment, which needed to be conveyed by Damon’s character toward Capt. Miller’s squad.

Steven Spielberg took a unique approach to filming

Behind-the-scenes of Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: andrewz / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Most Hollywood movies are filmed scene-by-scene, but out of chronological order to save time and make the process more efficient. However, Steven Spielberg deliberately chose to film every scene from Saving Private Ryan in order.

By allowing the actors to experience the story from start to finish, especially as more and more of their fellow soldiers lose their lives as the film progresses, Spielberg was able to elicit more authentic and powerful emotions from the cast members.

Tom Sizemore was kept on a short leash

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: andrewz / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Actor Billy Bob Thornton was originally approached to play the role of Tech. Sgt. Michael Horvath in Saving Private Ryan, but turned down the offer because of his fear of water. Tom Sizemore was selected as a backup, but things soon became tense on set.

Sizemore was struggling with addiction at the time, and things got so bad that Steven Spielberg had him take a drug test every day. If he failed, he would be re-cast on the spot.

Tom Hanks and Matt Damon were not the first choice

Saving Private Ryan, 1998. (Photo Credit: lisakenobi / Dreamworks Pictures / Paramount Pictures / MovieStillsDB)
Just like Tom Sizemore, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon weren’t Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play the two leading characters. Before settling on Hanks for the role of Capt. Miller, the leader of the group tasked with finding Pvt. Ryan, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Pete Postlethwaite were all top contenders.

Spielberg and Hanks had never worked together prior, but their time on Saving Private Ryan created a friendship that would last for the next two decades, as they collaborated on several movies, like Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Bridge of Spies (2015). They also had a hand in Band of Brothers (2001) and The Pacific (2010), and are now working on the highly-anticipated WWII miniseries, Masters of the Air,

Damon was also far from the first pick to play the titular role. Edward Norton, a rising star in the late 1990s, was the first choice to play Pvt. Ryan, but he ultimately turned down the role for a much larger part in American History X (1998).

Noah Wyle was the second choice for Ryan, but he, too, was already working on ER (1994-2009), so Damon stepped in. While he may have not been Spielberg’s first choice, Damon’s spectacular work in Saving Private Ryan helped launch his career to new heights.

Gas station bathrooms are the last place most people want to stop to do their business.

But that wasn’t always the case. Spotless bathrooms were once a crucial selling point for gas stations.

In fact, oil giants’ gas station ads in the early and mid-20th century assured travelers that their bathrooms were as clean as those in drivers’ own homes.

Texaco, Gulf, Shell, Sunoco, Esso, Phillips and other companies plastered billboards on roads, ran color ads in national magazines and created catchy slogans such as “Registered Rest Rooms” and “Clean Restroom Crusade” to highlight their facilities. The companies battled to surpass each others’ bathrooms, with some companies even sending out “White Patrol” and “Highway Hostess” teams to inspect and certify them.

Companies tried to make their bathrooms feel more like home in response to the growing number of women who were driving and traveling around the country. By 1928, women bought half of gas stations’ fuel that year, according to an industry journal.

Trailers stopping into a gas station in New Jersey in the early to mid-20th century. Gas stations upgraded their bathrooms to appeal to women.
Visual Studies Workshop/Getty Images

Oil companies believed women would be the ones deciding where to stop with their families, even if they weren’t driving, said Susan Spellman, a historian at Miami University who wrote her thesis on how women influenced the development of gas stations.

“She will remember the dirty rest room and avoid the station on her next trip,” read a 1938 article in trade journal National Petroleum News with the headline “Women Shun Dirty Stations.”

At the same time, companies’ efforts excluded Black women and men, who were barred from using these restrooms in the segregated South and were not a focus for these companies in the North until the 1950s and 1960s.

The development of the interstate highway system and the rise of self-service marked the end of clean gas station bathrooms’ heyday.

Appealing to women

At the turn of the 20th century, automobile drivers would pull into a blacksmith shop, a hardware store or a pharmacy to purchase a tin can of gasoline.

But the mass adoption of cars, development of roads and the introduction of the hand-operated gas pump around 1910 led to a proliferation of curbside gas stations.

By 1920, there were 15,000 filling stations in the United States. Many of these stations, however, were in shabby condition and their designs and services were an afterthought.

The Ford Model T at a filling station in 1910. Early gas stations were often in shabby condition.
Associated Press

As competition for customers grew in the 1920s and 1930s, companies found they needed ways to separate their stations beyond the indistinguishable gasoline brand they sold. They began focusing on service and amenities.

They sought to attract customers by building homey, cottage-style buildings, adding courteous station attendants in uniforms, and offering an array of services and perks like oil checks and windshield wiping.

At the time, the public was anxious about the spread of venereal disease in public facilities. “Stations Must Be Clean To Overcome Public’s Growing Fears of Syphilis,” National Petroleum News warned in 1938.

Better bathrooms were meant to allay these fears, particularly to help draw women.

A gas station on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut between the 1940s and 1950s. Gas stations began improving building design and services to attract customers.
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images

Women consistently listed clean restrooms as their top priority for patronizing a gas station, according to trade journal articles during the period that Spellman unearthed.

The bathroom layout adhered to the gender norms of the period. Unlike today, when all customers usually have to enter a gas station to use the bathroom, the typical women’s restroom of the era was built in the back of the building or off to the side to give women extra privacy. The men’s room, on the other hand, was located inside near the sales floor.

Gender roles at the time dictated that women were in charge of anything involving the home, including the bathroom, Spellman said.

An advertisement for Texaco stations in 1954, part of the company’s “Registered Rest Room” program.
Neil Baylis/Alamy Stock Photo

Companies believed that if a woman had a good experience at one of their restrooms, she would tell her friends that the bathrooms were safe for them and their children to use.

By the late 1920s, gas stations made changes to their bathrooms to cater to women, Spellman said. Stations began equipping facilities with running hot and cold water, mirrors, soap, toilet paper, powder rooms, makeup tables and couches.

‘White Patrol’

Companies created a flurry of campaigns in national and women’s magazines, on billboards, and through signs posted outside gas stations in the 1930s and 1940s to illuminate their clean bathrooms.

Texaco created a “Registered Rest Room” program in 1938 for its thousands of stations in all 48 states.

The company sent out fleets of inspectors in white cars — called the “White Patrol” — to ensure restrooms were up to par. Stations that upheld a set of standards were able to post white and green “Registered Rest Room” signs outside their stops, a signal to customers that the bathrooms were safe to use.

“A new crusade on America’s highways…the White Patrol,” a 1938 Texaco advertisement in Collier’s magazine read. “In each car…trained inspectors” ensure “spic-and-span rest rooms, fully equipped for your comfort.”

Read another Texaco advertisement explicitly targeting women: “Our ‘Powder Room’ on every road.”

“You’re lucky, Betty,” a mother says to her daughter in the ad. “I remember when it was hard to find clean, attractive rest rooms like this.”

Phillips 66 launched a similar “Certified Clean Rest Rooms” program around the same time and sent out “Highway Hostesses” — registered nurses in blue military-style uniforms — to inspect conditions.

A 1938 advertisement for Phillips 66’s “Highway Hostess” program.
From Petroleum Service Company

Shell responded with its “White Cross of Cleanliness” advertising campaign in partnership with Good Housekeeping Magazine. Shell stations put up signs alerting customers that restrooms were kept “Home Clean” in accordance with the magazine’s standards.

Gas stations continued to advertise prominently their bathroom conditions in the following decades. Texaco in the 1960s, for example, aired television commercials spotlighting its bathrooms. “Clean and neat” restrooms are “Something a lady really appreciates,” the narrator says.

Texaco station restroom key fob, 1950-1965.
From the Collections of The Henry Ford

Images of mothers and daughters, nurses, white gloves and other themes were meant to reassure White women, in particular, of gas stations’ bathroom standards. Black drivers were excluded from companies’ strategies.

“It’s an appeal to a domestic world of White women,” said Mia Bay, a historian at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance.” Gas stations’ advertising at the time was attempting to convey “safe spaces for White women.”

In the Jim Crow South, segregation laws required separate facilities for Black and White people. And there were few separate “colored restrooms” at the major gas stations, Bay said. She added that Black drivers in the South were typically forced to look for Black-owned gas stations, which were often advertised in traveling books for Black motorists — or go around the back or outside at major companies’ gas stations.

Holding it in at the gas station

So how did gas stations go from so prominently advertising their clean bathrooms to the dismal reputation they have today? (Here’s a helpful reminder from BuzzFeed on why you might want to just hold it in the next time you have to go at a gas station.)

There are a few reasons, historians of gas stations and public facilities say.

The development of the interstate highway system and rest stops along the highway reduced the importance of gas station bathrooms, said Matt Anderson, the curator of transportation at The Henry Ford museum in Michigan. “It would be quicker to duck into a rest area rather than exit the freeway and find a gas station.”

Traffic in Los Angeles in 1973. The development of rest stops on the highway lessened the need to go to a gas station to use the bathroom.
Bettmann/Getty Images

Gas stations stopped directly featuring restrooms in their advertising campaigns and, by the late 1960s, stations’ “restrooms were starting to get a poor reputation,” Anderson said.

In major cities, many gas station owners decided that the cost and effort involved in maintaining their bathrooms wasn’t worth it anymore — especially as city and state-run public bathrooms shuttered and more people flooded into gas stations, said Bryant Simon, a historian at Temple University who is working on a book about the history of public bathrooms in the United States.

“Gas stations were pissed off at the government outsourcing” bathrooms to them, Simon said. “They see it as a drain on their bottom line.”

As stations focused less on upkeep, bathrooms deteriorated and customers treated them worse, Simon said, describing it as “vicious spiral.”

Bathroom conditions also fell off as gas prices spiked in the 1970s and self-service replaced station attendants.

Cars line up in two directions at a gas station in New York City in 1973. As gas sprices spiked during the 1970s, restrooms fell off.
Marty Lederhandler/AP

Drivers became more focused on finding the cheapest gas — not the station with the cleanest bathroom or best service — and many were willing to sacrifice clean toilets if it meant saving a few cents per gallon.

“Gas became more transactional with self-serve,” Simon said. “Service and amenities fall by the wayside.”

However, a handful of gas station chains today still borrow tactics from the earlier era of clean bathrooms as a way to draw customers.

Kwik Trip in the Midwest posts a “Clean Restroom Promise” sign in all of its bathrooms with CEO Don Zietlow’s name and a hotline number to call for complaints. Zietlow personally receives and responds to every call.

And Buc-ee’s in Texas regularly ranks as having the top-rated bathrooms in the gas station industry. The company uses billboards along the highway to advertise its facilities, including “Top Two Reasons to Stop at Buc-ee’s: Number 1 and Number 2” and “Rest-Rooms You Have to Pee to Believe.”

U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Yeager, born in Myra, West Virginia, in 1923, was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe.

He shot down 13 German planes and was himself shot down over France, but he escaped capture with the assistance of the French Underground. After the war, he was among several volunteers chosen to test-fly the experimental X-1 rocket plane, built by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the possibility of supersonic flight.

For years, many aviators believed that man was not meant to fly faster than the speed of sound, theorizing that transonic drag rise would tear any aircraft apart. All that changed on October 14, 1947, when Yeager flew the X-1 over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California. The X-1 was lifted to an altitude of 25,000 feet by a B-29 aircraft and then released through the bomb bay, rocketing to 40,000 feet and exceeding 662 miles per hour (the sound barrier at that altitude). The rocket plane, nicknamed “Glamorous Glennis” (after Yeager’s wife), was designed with thin, unswept wings and a streamlined fuselage modeled after a .50-caliber bullet.

Reports of the flight leaked to the press in December 1947, but because of the secrecy of the project, Bell and Yeager’s achievement was not officially confirmed until June 1948. Yeager continued to serve as a test pilot, and in 1953 he flew 1,650 miles per hour in an X-1A rocket plane. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1975 with the rank of brigadier general. Yeager died on December 7, 2020, at age 97.

When we think of the firearms used by U.S. forces during World War II, the AN/M2 .50-caliber machine gun doesn’t exactly jump to the front of the line. Nevertheless, it was in action from Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, through Aug. 18, 1945, when the gunners on two B-32 Dominators used it to fire America’s final shots of the conflict. During the 1,350 days in between, the .50-cal. AN/M2 served in the air, on land and at sea, and it was a part of every major battle in every theater of operations around the world. That is something that cannot be said about any other U.S. military firearm that was in service at the time.

August 18, 1945
At 05:43 hours, a pair of B-32s took off from Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, to photograph various locations around Tokyo Bay. Technically the war had ended three days earlier, so the mission was supposed to be routine—until the Japanese attacked. At first, the B-32s drew “heavy and inaccurate” anti-aircraft fire as they passed over the airfield at Miyakawa, but, shortly thereafter, they were intercepted by 17 Japanese fighters. During the two-hour-long aerial engagement, gunners aboard both American bombers fought off their antagonists with heavy volumes of effective machine gun fire; the B-32 was a particularly well-armed aircraft. It mounted Sperry A-17 turrets in the nose and tail, a pair of Martin A-3F-A dorsal turrets aft of the cockpit and a single Sperry A-13-A ball turret in the ventral position. Each one was armed with a pair of AN/M2 .50-cal. machine guns. Through 10 separate firing passes, the Japanese fighters strafed the big American bombers, which fought back with their AN/M2s, firing more than 4,000 rounds of .50-cal. ammunition. One B-32 suffered multiple hits that damaged the aircraft and fatally wounded 20-year-old Sgt. Anthony J. Marchiano. He was the last American to be killed as a result of enemy action during World War II.

A side-by-side view shows the differences in size of the AN/M2 .30-cal. and .50-cal. machine guns (l.). A Consolidated B-32 Dominator, like those of the 386th Bombardment Squadron that flew the Aug. 18, 1945, mission to photograph the Tokyo Bay area, is shown below. The B-32s that flew that mission were armed with 10 AN/M2 .50-cal. machine guns in five turrets.

The Origin Story
The AN/M2 .50-cal. machine gun had its origins in John M. Browning’s Model of 1917 .30-cal. machine gun. Its short-recoil-operated, belt-fed design was a success on the battlefield, albeit only during the closing weeks of World War I. General John J. Pershing requested the development of a larger-caliber gun, and Frankford Arsenal quickly scaled-up the .30-cal. cartridge to produce the 12.7×99 mm—known today as .50 Browning Machine Gun or BMG. Browning scaled-up the M1917’s design to chamber the new cartridge. He completed the design in 1918, and it entered service in 1921 as the water-cooled Model 1921 WC. In May 1923, an air-cooled version was standardized, but it could only feed from the left side. Since that was not entirely ideal for mounting multiple guns in the cramped confines of an aircraft, Browning modified the design so it could feed from either the left or the right. The Model 1923 was standardized for “Army/Navy” use as the AN/M2 aircraft machine gun on Oct. 5, 1933. Because of a lighter bolt and a substantially lighter 36″ barrel, it produced a higher cyclic rate than its ground combat counterpart, the M2HB. Whereas the M2HB had fired 450 to 575 rounds per minute, the AN/M2 approached 850. Even though its lightweight barrel did not possess the same heat-dissipating characteristics as the M2HB, the AN/M2 .50-cal. was intended to operate in flight at high altitudes where cooler temperatures and fast-moving airflow would prevent overheating. It was also lighter than the 84-lb. M2HB, 23 lbs. lighter to be precise. A distinctive ventilated barrel jacket and muzzle booster even made it look quite a bit different than the M2HB. The AN/M2 could be used on either a rigid mount for offensive purposes or a hand-operated mount for defensive purposes, and it could be fired mechanically using a trigger or electrically using a solenoid.

When the U.S. Congress dramatically increased funding for the rapidly expanding U.S. Army Air Corps in 1939, it was necessary to increase production of aircraft machine guns. Toward that end, the Ordnance Dept. awarded a $20 million educational contract to General Motors to modify and equip some of its manufacturing plants for the purpose. Then, in September 1940, GM was awarded a $61.4 million contract to produce 71,225 machine guns of four types, one of which was the AN/M2. The GM plants that soon thereafter began producing that gun were Frigidaire in Dayton, Ohio, and A.C. Spark Plug in Flint, Mich. General Motor’s Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division in Syracuse, N.Y., would also produce the AN/M2 .50-cal. alongside High Standard, Savage Arms, Buffalo Arms, Kelsey-Hayes and Colt. Production of the AN/M2 surged just as the war clouds over Europe and Asia began to look more menacing.

The assembly room floor for AN/M2 .50-cal. machine gun production at GM’s A.C. Spark Plug plant in Flint, Mich., illustrates the individual attention paid each example (l.). A side-by-side comparison shows the difference in size of the AN/M2 .30-cal. and .50-cal. machine guns’ internal components (r.).

December 7, 1941
When the Japanese navy carried out their attack on all of the military installations on the island of Oahu, including the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Americans did not cower in fear—they fought back, and they did so using every arm available to them. While the M1903 rifle and even the M1911A1 pistol were used against attacking Japanese aircraft, the big hero of U.S. small arms that day was the AN/M2. At several locations across the island, the machine guns were swiftly put into action in improvised positions, and it did not take long for them to show their worth. At Hickam Army Airfield, AN/M2s that were supposed to be used as defensive armaments on B-17s were instead placed within a bomb crater and aimed at the sky. On Ford Island, sailors and Marines retrieved both .30-cal. and .50-cal. AN/M2s from ordnance storage lockers for the three patrol squadrons stationed there and mounted the guns in expedient positions made of sandbags, wood and sometimes even tent canvas. A position on Ford Island had AN/M2 .50-cals. mounted using an adaptor system equipped with a rubberized buttpad fixed to the back end of the cradle assembly, a pistol grip/trigger mechanism on the side of the cradle and a tower for mounting a telescopic sight.

U.S. Marines and Navy sailors occupy an improvised fighting position that was thrown together on Ford Island during the aftermath of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. In addition to four M1903 rifles, the position is armed with an AN/M2 .50-cal. aircraft machine gun mounted on an instructional/training tripod.

Fourteen miles to the northeast, at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, sailors also set up temporary fighting positions for AN/M2s. In a ditch for a sewage line, five sailors set up a pair of AN/M2s—a .30-cal. and a .50-cal. They used some of the framing structures in the ditch as field-expedient platforms, and tied sections of rope to secure the guns. Nearby, on the parking ramp for Patrol Squadron (VP) 11, CPO John William Finn directed his sailors in setting up several AN/M2s and their instructional/training tripods. As the squadron’s highest-ranking aviation ordnanceman, he was not just familiar with the operation of these guns, he also had full access to them and the ammunition they needed. Over the course of the next two hours, Finn personally operated an AN/M2 .50-cal., directing effective machine gun fire against attacking Japanese aircraft. Because he was firing from an exposed position, the 32-year-old drew return fire and suffered painful wounds, but he kept on fighting. After the raid was over and he had received cursory medical attention, he supervised the re-arming of returning aircraft. Nine months later, Finn was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on Dec. 7, 1941.

A crew member of a U.S. Navy PT boat, just off the New Guinea coast in July 1943, mans a Mark 17 manually operated scarf-ring turret armed with a pair of AN/M2 .50-cal. machine guns.

U.S. Army Air Corps aviators also put the AN/M2 .50-cal. to good use that day. When the attack began, aircraft of the 47th Pursuit Squadron were temporarily based on the north shore of Oahu at the auxiliary airfield near Haleiwa to conduct remote field gunnery training. As bombs began to fall on Wheeler Army Airfield, a group of pilots from the squadron rushed the 10 miles to Haleiwa and took to the air to oppose the enemy, but only .30-cal. ammunition was available there. Second Lt. George S. Welch and 2nd Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor both took off in B model P-40 Warhawk fighters, which were each armed with two .30-cal. AN/M2s in the wings and two AN/M2 .50s in the cowling. When they first joined the unfolding air battle above Oahu that morning, only their wing guns were loaded. Once in the air, Taylor and Welch climbed to 8,000 feet and flew south to Barber’s Point. There, they observed a formation of 12 “Val” dive-bombers and, despite six-to-one odds, both attacked. Although each man shot down one enemy dive-bomber, they quickly ran out of ammunition. Both pilots then flew 13 miles to the north, landed at Wheeler Army Airfield and taxied to an ammunition replenishing point. There, ground crewmen reloaded their wing-mounted AN/M2 .30s, and gave both P-40s a full load of .50 BMG as well. They did not take on fuel—just the ammunition that let them get back into the fight. The two pilots then roared into the air again and began dogfighting over Wahiawa. By the end of the air battle, Welch had shot down four enemy aircraft and Taylor had scored two confirmed kills with two probables. In recognition for their extraordinary heroism in action, both received the Distinguished Service Cross.

The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States declared war on the Empire of Japan, and the AN/M2 .50-cal. that had performed so well on December 7 was back at work in the skies over the Pacific. In February 1942, the U.S. Navy launched a series of “hit-and-run” aircraft carrier raids against remote island outposts of Japan’s oceanic empire starting with the Marshall and Gilbert islands.

Pictured are three of the six AN/M2 .50-cal. machine guns that armed the P-51K Mustang flown by 1st Lt. Hilton O. Thompson of the 434th Fighter Squadron, 479th Fighter Group during the April 25, 1945, air raid on the Obersalzberg in southern Bavaria.

February 20, 1942
On February 20th, U.S.S. Lexington was moving into position to launch a surprise air raid on the Japanese fleet anchorage at Rabaul, New Britain, when it was spotted by a Japanese flying boat. The ship was still 450 miles northeast of Rabaul when this happened, so the element of surprise was suddenly lost and the Japanese responded by launching 17 “Betty” bombers in two groups to sink the American carrier. Shortly after 4:30 p.m., the first group of Bettys closed in on Lexington only to be met by fighters from the ship’s combat air patrol. Although all nine bombers from the first group were brought down in minutes, when the second group approached from another direction shortly before 5 p.m. only two fighters were in a position to intercept them. They were both Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats armed with four AN/M2 .50-cals. each, but one of the aircraft could not fire a shot because its guns were jammed. That meant the other fighter, piloted by Lt. Edward “Butch” O’Hare, would have to protect Lexington alone. Without hesitating, O’Hare dove in on the formation and began firing. He had to make his bursts count because the F4F-3 carried only 450 rounds per gun. In three separate passes, he sent one bomber after the other tumbling toward the sea, but all the while the running air battle was creeping closer and closer to Lexington—so close that the remaining Bettys were nearing their bomb-release point. When O’Hare began his fourth pass, the four AN/M2 in his wings began chattering away, but then abruptly fell silent when the ammunition ran out. He pulled away and let Lexington’s anti-aircraft guns open fire on the four remaining Japanese aircraft. All their bombs missed, and the ship sustained no damage. Had the fearless naval aviator not been there to interfere with the Japanese bombing run, the ship would have probably been damaged or maybe even sunk. Instead, Butch O’Hare boldly threw his Wildcat at the bomber formation over and over again until he could do nothing more to stop them. He was the right man at the right place at the right time, he had an excellent aircraft and he had four heavy-hitting AN/M2 .50s to get the job done. Because of his conspicuous bravery, Butch O’Hare was subsequently recommended for the Medal of Honor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented that award to the young lieutenant at the White House on April 21, 1942, with a citation that concludes with these words: “As a result of his gallant action—one of the most daring, if not THE most daring single action in the history of combat aviation—he undoubtedly saved his carrier from serious damage.”

Captain Clark Gable poses with a .50-cal. AN/M2 machine gun in the left waist gunner’s position of a B-17 from the 351st Bombardment Group at RAF Polebrook/USAAF Station 110 in Northamptonshire on June 6, 1943. A qualified aerial gunner, Gable flew five combat missions with the 351st during the war.

On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers flew from U.S.S. Hornet in the now-famous Doolittle Raid. Each was equipped with a dorsal turret armed with a pair of .50-cal. AN/M2s. But that was really only the beginning of the B-25’s special relationship with the AN/M2. The B-25 went through field modifications that upgunned it with AN/M2 .50s in external blisters on both sides of the fuselage, as well as in the aircraft’s nose. This paved the way for factory-built B-25 gunships mounting as many as—in the example of the B-25J gunship—14 forward-firing AN/M2 .50-cal. machine guns.

Nearly every air gunner in World War II was a volunteer, and the youngest of them was Sgt. Francis DeSales Glover, who lied about his age and joined the USAAF on Oct. 14, 1942, at 14 years old. He completed his training and flew six missions over Germany before his true age was discovered and he was grounded. Glover was awarded the Air Medal before he was found out and was later retired at the age of 16 and sent home with an honorable discharge in 1944. He is seen here in front of his Liberator “Big-time Operator” (B-24 No. 41-29288 of the 753rd Bombardment Squadron, 458th Bombardment Group) and he is holding the AN/M2 .50-cal. machine gun that he fought with during his combat missions.

The AN/M2 .50 played a critical role in all of the pivotal engagements of the Pacific. From the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, to the decisive six-month-long air, sea and land campaign on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It made a significant contribution to the struggles for New Guinea and the Philippines, and it is the weapon that brought down Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on April 18, 1943. The AN/M2 .50 also brought down hundreds of Japanese aircraft during the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June 1944, and it participated in the destruction of the super battleships Musashi and Yamato. It armed submarines, PT boats and the B-29s that brought strategic bombing to the Japanese home islands. It was literally everywhere. But for all of the critical contributions it made in the Pacific, we have to remember that it made equal contributions to the war in the China-Burma-India theater as well. In fact, a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot named James H. Howard used AN/M2 .50-cals. mounted in a P-40 Warhawk to shoot down six Japanese aircraft while he was a member of the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers. Fast-forward a year and a half, and Howard had by then become a U.S. Army major in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). As commanding officer of the 356th Fighter Squadron based in England, he was regularly flying combat missions in the skies above the Third Reich.

Two U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats from Fighting Squadron 3 (VF-3) are seen in flight near Naval Air Station, Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii, on April 10, 1942. The planes are BuNo 3976 (F-1, foreground), flown by VF-3 Commanding Officer Lt. Cdr. John S. Thach, and BuNo 3986 (F-13), flown by Lt. Edward H. O’Hare. Eleven days after this photograph was taken, O’Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor for what he did in a similar Wildcat to save U.S.S. Lexington (CV-2) on Feb. 20, 1942 near Rabaul.

January 11, 1944
During a bomber escort mission to the town of Oschersleben on Jan. 11, 1944, Howard single-handedly attacked a formation of 30 German fighters with his P-51B Mustang and the six .50-cal. AN/M2s in its wings. Without the tactical advantages of either altitude or surprise, he engaged in a 30-minute running dogfight against the Luftwaffe fighters that opposed and outnumbered him, destroying at least three. It was an exceptional act of both bravery and skill that a Stars and Stripes correspondent named Andy Rooney later described as being “the greatest fighter pilot story of World War II.” Howard would ultimately be awarded the Medal of Honor for what he did that day in the skies above Oschersleben with six AN/M2 .50s. But while he was dogfighting and trying to hold off the Luftwaffe, gunners on the 401st Bombardment Group B-17s above him were fighting for their lives using the same gun.

As the primary defensive arm of USAAF bombers, the AN/M2 .50-cal. was a part of each and every raid flown against targets in Europe during the war, and it provided thousands of gunners the firepower that would give them a fighting chance to survive modern air combat. The gun’s role in the ETO began with the Eighth Air Force raids against targets in occupied France in August 1942. It was there defending the bombers during the Operation Gomorrah raids that created firestorms in Hamburg in July 1943. It was there the following month during the infamous Schweinfurt–Regensburg shuttle mission and it was there for the “Big Week” assault against the German aircraft industry in early 1944. The bombers and fighters that supported D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge were armed with it, and it destroyed its fair share of railroad rolling stock in spectacular strafing missions that unfolded as the end of the war in Europe began to draw near, which it did on April 9, 1945.

Markings on AN/M2 .50-cal. machine gun Serial No. 1482994 indicate its production by the Frigidaire Division of General Motors. It was one of the six guns used to shoot down an Arado Ar 234 jet bomber during the April 25, 1945, air raid on the Obersalzberg in southern Bavaria.

April 25, 1945
Never before had Allied aircraft attacked the settlement known as Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden in southern Bavaria, which was the location of Adolf Hitler’s private residence, the Berghof – but the time had finally come. Although the Führer was not there at the time, over 350 RAF bombers would carry out a large-scale raid against the target with the support of 98 P-51s from the U.S. Army’s Eighth Air Force.  One of the Mustangs flying the mission that day was piloted by 1st Lieutenant Hilton O. Thompson of the 434th Fighter Squadron, 479th Fighter Group. His infiltration to the target had been long and routine, but then shortly before noon something out of the ordinary happened as the flight approached the Obersalzberg area. While scanning the sky, 1st Lieutenant Thompson spotted an aircraft flying in an easterly direction 2,000 feet directly above him. Without hesitating, he signaled his wingman to follow and began climbing toward the enemy aircraft which turned out to be an Arado Ar 234.

When he was 800 yards from the twin-engine bomber, Thompson fired two short bursts from his six AN/M2 .50-caliber machine guns, and those bursts struck the German jet’s left engine. He then closed-in rapidly from seven o’clock astern, fired several more bursts from between 600 and 300 yards, and those bursts inflicted fatal damage to the left side of the Arado’s fuselage. When the Mustang was just 200 yards away, Lt. Thompson stopped firing, pulled to the right and watched the stricken jet spiral down from 24,000 feet and crash near Berchtesgaden. He had fired a total of 1,571 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition to bring-down the jet, which was his second aerial victory. When the war in Europe ended just two weeks later, it was recognized that there was an historical value associated with the six AN/M2 .50s in Thompson’s Mustang because they had been used to bring down a German jet bomber during the raid that destroyed Adolf Hitler’s home.

In recognition of that, the Headquarters of the Eighth Air Force had all six guns sent to the Headquarters of the U.S. Army Air Forces in Washington, D.C. and, decades later, they found their way to the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts. They are still there today but they are not displayed in the museum’s exhibit. That’s where you find examples of the firearms that have traditionally been more closely identified with the American experience in World War II. The six AN/M2 .50s from Hilton Thompson’s P-51 are in artifact storage where they are preserved and protected, just not on public display. In a way, it is fitting of the gun’s somewhat less than prominent role. When we think of the firearms used by U.S. forces during World War II, the AN/M2 .50-caliber machine gun doesn’t exactly jump to the front of the line.

Nevertheless, it was in action from day one – Sunday, December 7, 1941 – through to August 18, 1945 when the gunners on two B-32 Dominators used it to fire the USA’s final shots of the conflict. During the 1,350 days in between, the AN/M2 .50 served in the air, on land and at sea, and it was a part of every major battle in every theater of operations around the world. That is something that cannot be said about any other U.S. military firearm that was in service at the time. It was the principal tool used in thousands of combat actions that resulted in the awarding of decorations like the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor. Considering the significant contribution to the war effort that it made and its relative obscurity in the history of U.S. small arms, the AN/M2 .50-caliber machine gun is truly the unsung hero of U.S. firepower during World War II.

We haven’t seen an artist like him since David Bowie 

I’ve always considered myself to be somewhat of a music purist.

I still listen to albums from front to back, usually on an old record player I keep next to a collection of EPs that produces a lovely scratchy sound as original masterpieces from Revolver to The Queen Is Dead turn on its table.

Those albums aren’t just important because they are musical triumphs, they’re important because they had a profound impact on the industry and influenced cultural movements that impacted society as a whole.

Without the Beatles there is no Pixies, Nirvana or Oasis. Without The Smiths there is no Stone Roses, Radiohead or The Libertines. But what those bands did for women’s liberation, gay liberation, environmentalism and working class movements is equally profound. Both are bands whose popularity was supplanted by their artistry, giving them a unique position in the annals of music history.

For me, ever since the X Factor aired on our screens, fronted by Simon Cowell with his pearly white teeth, pristine T and Twickers jeans and shoes combination, it has been the absolute antithesis of all that.

The public flogging of people out to chase their dreams has seen huge audiences flock to the show over the years as they crown acts who manage to not butcher classic covers. As Michael Rosenberg (AKA Passenger) once put it, the show “murdered music” at the altar of a few “money-grabbing pricks”. It robbed us of an original Christmas Number 1 for decades until a countermovement propelled Rage Against The Machine to the top spot. And quite right, too.

But the show has, quite miraculously, given birth to a musician who, in my view, belongs in the same category as The Beatles, The Smiths and, pertainantly, David Bowie in status.

Harry Styles, formerly of One Direction fame, is quite obviously a popular bloke. He is about to perform in front of 90,000 people at Wembley for the fourth night after completing the highest selling Scottish stadium tour ever. He has 48.9 million followers on Instagram and his 2022 hit ‘As It Was’ was the most streamed Spotify song that year.

But his popularity should not be confused with his artistry.

Styles is more than just the hoards of screaming teenage fans and strings of celebrity endorsements we’ve come to know him for. He’s actually an icon both in music and in style, and increasingly an icon in modern movements of inclusiveness and self-worth.

During a concert in Houston, Texas, in 2018, he interacted with a ten-year-old boy in the crowd who had become overcome with emotion. Styles assured the young boy, “Crying is very manly. Being vulnerable is manly”. That is fucking classy, man.

His debut album artwork, which depicts the least tattooed area of his naked body half-submerged in a pastel pink bath, similarly conveys vulnerability, femininity, reflection, and intimacy, all of which are buzzwords for new youth movements that will only grow in acceptance and popularity.

When I look at his Love on Tour show I don’t see a teenage heartthrob. I see the Beatles. I look at his fashion and I see Bowie. I look at the messages he’s sending out to kids and I see Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation. And I see the fact that nobody is talking about him in those terms as proof that he is actually woefully underrated.

Now bring on the hate…

The Beatles travelled to Japan as part of their 1966 world tour – they decided to stop doing live performances at the end of that year (Credit: Getty Images)

The Beatles made a psychedelic painting together – now up for sale at a New York auction on 1 February – while holed up in a Japanese hotel room. Its creation seemed to provide a moment of calm at a tumultuous time.

It was meant to be their big introduction to the East, but when The Beatles disembarked at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on 29 June 1966, dressed in matching Japanese happi coats, the security was oppressive. “I’ve never seen so many people guarding us,” drummer Ringo Starr commented at the time. Death threats made by Japanese nationalists, who considered the Fab Four emblems of an invasive Western culture, saw the band confined for almost all of the five-day tour to the lavish Presidential Suite at Tokyo’s Hilton Hotel, with little more than their musical instruments and their own company to entertain them.

Among a number of gifts delivered to their room were art materials of the highest quality, including wooden brushes, watercolours and oils. To pass the time, the band members laid a sheet of fine Japanese art paper on a table, placed a ceramic lamp at its centre to secure and illuminate it, and set about creating Images of a Woman, thought to be The Beatles’ only painting.

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Almost six decades on, that painting is now for sale, with the famous four signatures scribbled in the circular space where the lamp once stood. The 54.6 x 78.8cm painting will go under the hammer at Christie’s New York on 1 February and is estimated at $400,000 to $600,000. The lot is one of many items of extraordinary provenance featuring in “The Exceptional Sale”, which includes a gold crocheted vest that belonged to Janis Joplin, and Elvis Presley’s Gretsch guitar from his 1969 Las Vegas residency.

Courtesy of Christie’s. The Beatles found calm in creating the painting when not performing (Credit: Courtesy of Christie’s)

“Beatles mania continues in the market; we see that decade after decade,” Casey Rogers, head of sale for The Exceptional Sale and senior vice-president for Christie’s, tells BBC Culture. In 2009, the drum skin from the album cover of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold at Christie’s for more than $1m, four times the estimate. Rogers anticipates an equally lively auction on 1 February.

“It’s by the hand of all four Beatles together, collectively,” she says. “It’s a piece of memorabilia and it’s a piece of fine art, and I think that’s what’s really unique.” The painting’s sense of place is also significant. “It’s a time capsule of a moment taken from 1966,” Rogers adds. “It’s something that I wish I had a soundtrack to.”

Should there be any soundtrack, it’s tempting to imagine it as their seventh album, Revolver, with the dreamy I’m Only Sleeping and the melancholy strings of Eleanor Rigby the background to their brushwork. It was in this suite that they decided on the album’s name – nothing to do with guns, but a wordplay on a record’s revolving motion. The critically acclaimed album was released just a month later and would go on to sell 27 million copies, with an extended, remixed and remastered version released in 2022. The painting’s psychedelic swirls appear to reflect Revolver’s transition towards the LSD-influenced soundscape that would characterise much of The Beatles’ later work.

Turbulent tour

Outside the safety of their luxury suite, the atmosphere was a peculiar mixture of hysteria created by their young fans and ice-cold hostility from Japanese traditionalists. Their manager, Brian Epstein, had hired the only space large enough to accommodate their unprecedented following, but, for some, staging a pop concert in the hallowed Nippon Budokan Hall desecrated an important martial arts centre. Around 3,000 police officers were deployed each night to secure the venue. Japanese photographer Shimpei Asai, who was granted privileged access to The Beatles during their trip, said of the experience: “Things were so tense the whole time. I felt like I was a war correspondent.”

They’d stop [painting], go and do a concert, then it was ‘let’s get back to the picture’ – Robert Whitaker

The painting offered a welcome distraction. “They’d stop [painting], go and do a concert, then it was ‘let’s get back to the picture!’” remembers Robert Whitaker, quoted in Christie’s press release. A photographer also managed by Epstein, Whitaker joined The Beatles on tour and created a series of images of them working on the piece. Christie’s says that the aroma of the Virginia tobacco the band chain-smoked still lingers with the scent of the paint.

The 1966 tour marked a transition in Beatlemania, with security ramped up to control the crowds (Credit: Getty Images)

All four Beatles had an interest in art. Lennon had attended art college and was a compulsive doodler, while McCartney was a keen photographer. Later, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney would make painting an important part of their downtime, often raising money for charity from the sale of their work, and Harrison even made a canvas of the outside of his Surrey home, decorating it with colourful swirls.

Up on the 10th floor, in room 1005, each Beatle worked on their own quadrant and signed their name beside it, leaving us with a fascinating insight into the mind of each musician. In the bottom right, the artwork of George Harrison, who introduced the Indian sitar into Beatles recordings, is unsurprisingly the most experimental. Above it is McCartney’s quadrant: the most precise and finely painted, speaking perhaps to the songwriter’s perfectionism. The piece was untitled for decades until a journalist commented that McCartney’s contribution resembled a woman’s genitals.

Images of a Woman was made at a crucial time in Beatles history. Though a burgeoning Asian fanbase saw all five nights in Japan sell out, they were unable to shake the controversy created earlier that year by Lennon’s comment that they were “more popular than Jesus”. “The Beatles gave up touring two months after they were in Tokyo, and they never went back as a group,” Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn told Christie’s. “That’s one of the reasons this painting is so special because they didn’t have this kind of time together again.”

When the time came to break free from the suite and head to the Philippines for the next stage of the tour, the finished piece was donated to the Beatles Fan Club in Japan, later passing into collectors’ hands. It was a tumultuous period for the band, but creating a work of art had helped get them through it. According to Whitaker, “I never saw them calmer or more contented than at this time.”

If you’ve ever flicked through a charity shop’s bargain box of records, it might be hard to imagine that old vinyl could be worth serious cash. 

But there are still some die-hard collectors willing to splash out for a rare copy of their favourite albums.

For the rarest of the rare, some obsessives have even paid millions to complete their collections.

And, it could be good news if you are a Beatles fan since their albums dominate the list of the most valuable records.

So, as vinyl scales reach their highest levels since the 1990s, it might be time to get those old boxes down from the attic to see if you are sat on any black gold.

Top 10 most expensive albums of all time

Wu-Tang Clan: Once Upon a Time in Shaolin – $2 million (£1.58m) and $4 million (£3.17m)
Bob Dylan: Blowin’ in the Wind –  $1.77 million (£1.48m)
John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy – $850,000 (£674,000)
The Beatles: White Album –  $790,000 (£626,000)
Elvis Presley: My Happiness $300,000 (£237,729)
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – $290,500 (£230,000)
The Quarry Men: That’ll Be The Day/In Spite of All the Danger $250,000 (£200,000)
The Beatles: Yesterday & Today – $125,000 – (£99,050)
The Beatles: ‘Til There Was You’ (10” acetate) – $97,800 (£77,500)
Aphex Twin: Caustic Window (test pressing) – $46,300 (£36,700)

 

1. Wu-Tang Clan: Once upon a time in Shaolin

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, by rap-collective Wu-Tang Clan, is an album so rare that it has almost taken on a mythical status within the world of collectors.

Created in 2015 as a protest against the devaluation of music in the digital world, only one physical copy was ever created.

The album became the most expensive piece of music ever when it was sold to disgraced pharmaceutical speculator Martin Shkreli for $2 million (£1.58m).

In addition to its massive sale price, the album caught international attention for the unusual clauses included in the contract.

The owner of this record may not make any digital copies of the album until 2103 or play it for profit.

Additionally, the contract was rumoured to include a clause that allowed any current member of the Wu-Tang Clan or actor Bill Murray to steal the record back without legal repercussions.

However, the sale was dragged into controversy when Shkreli hiked the price of the anti-infective agent Daraprim by 5,455 per cent.

When Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in jail and $7.4 million (£5.86m) in fines for securities fraud the album was seized by the US Government.

Bizarrely, this actually resulted in Wu-Tang Clan breaking their own record after the US government sold the album to a cryptocurrency collective called PleasrDAO for $4 million (£3.17m) worth of cryptocurrency.

2. Bob Dylan: Blowin’ in the Wind

Once again, in the world of ultra-valuable records, exclusivity is the surest formula for a massive price.

In 2022, Bob Dylan sold a new one-of-a-kind recording of his classic hit ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ for $1.77 million (£1.48 million) at Christie’s auction house.

The re-recording features new vocals from Dylan nearly 60 years on from the single’s original release and the backing of a full band.

Only one of these recordings was ever made and its creators likened its sale to that of a painting or piece of fine art.

Unlike conventional vinyl records which are pressed into vinyl from a master, this recording is recorded directly onto acetate.

Although prized for its sound quality, acetate is normally too delicate to make records from.

However, this record uses a sapphire and quartz gradient coating like that used on the International Space Station to protect it from wear.

3. John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy

Unfortunately, some collector items have a far more morbid history.

A signed copy of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1980 album Double Fantasy sold for a staggering $150,000 (£119,000) in 1990.

The record then sold again for $850,000 (£674,000) to a private collector in 2010.

It was even reported that the record was listed for sale in 2017 for between $1.2m and $1.5m (£950,000 and £1.2m) but it is not clear if the sale ever went ahead.

The reason for this record’s incredible value is that it was signed by Lennon for his killer Mark Chapman only hours before he was shot dead.

Lennon and Ono signed the album for Chapman as they left their building in New York on December 8, 1980.

The crazed fan stashed the album behind a plant pot before returning to kill Lennon only hours later.

The album was found by a passerby and passed to the police as it still contained forensic evidence from Chapman.

The police returned it to the member of the public some years later who eventually sold it on.

4. The Beatles: White Album

The Beatles’ self-titled ninth album, better known as the White Album, was an instant classic when it was released in 1968.

Yet it was the unusual album design choice that also secured its position as the record collectors’ album of choice.

Each of the albums was individually stamped with a unique serial number, with the first four numbered editions being given to each of the members of the Beatles.

In 2015 Ringo Starr was the first to sell his own personal copy, auctioning off the record in the US for $790,000 (£620,000).

5. Elvis Presley: My Happiness

My Happiness is a true relic of rock and roll history.

Made at Sun Records in 1953, when Elvis was just 18, this was the first record that he ever recorded.

Having paid $4 (£3) for the recording session, the young Elvis took the acetate record to his friend Ed Leek’s house to listen to it on their record player.

The record was left at Ed’s house where it was passed down to his niece who put it up for sale in 2015.

On what would have been Elvis’ 80th birthday a mysterious buyer paid $300,000 (£237,729) for the unique recording.

It only later emerged that the mysterious buyer was none other than Jack White of the White Stripes who issued a faithful reproduction of Elvis’ original recording through Third Man records.

Versions of this reissue are still available and include every pop and scratch that Elvis would have heard over 70 years ago.

6. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Another classic Beatles album makes the list of the most valuable records.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, is often considered to be one of the band’s finest works and is an important landmark in the history of progressive music.

With its iconic album cover, original pressings of this classic are highly sought after and regularly fetch hundreds of pounds at auction, while mono copies with the black Parlophone label can easily fetch thousands.

However, as with so many collectables, the addition of signatures can massively increase the value.

The Beatles’ avid fans take this to new heights and, in 2013, an American buyer paid a whopping $290,500 (£230,000) for a copy signed by all four members of the band.

7. The Quarry Men: That’ll Be The Day/In Spite of All the Danger

If you thought that this entry was a break from Beatles then you would be mistaken.

The Quarry Men was founded in 1965 by John Lennon and several of his school friends but soon grew to include Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

When the band turned more towards rock and roll many of the original members left and soon evolved into the Beatles.

While they never had much success beyond the local scene the group did produce one amateur recording.

The band recorded a cover of Buddy Holly’s That’ll Be the Day and an original song, In Spite of All the Danger, written by McCartney and Harrison.

Believed to be Britain’s rarest record, the original acetate has been valued at $250,000 (£200,000).

The record was sold by a former band member in 1981 who produced 20-25 private pressings which have never appeared for sale.

Valuable records you might have at home

1. Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks (alternative take version)

Some versions of the record have an alternative take of Brown Sugar and Wild Horses.

Look for the date 11-18-71 on Side Four.

2. Led Zeplin – Led Zeplin II (Hot Mix)

Early versions of the album have a louder mix which was later re-mastered to be quieter.

Look for the initials RL on the edge of the record.

3. The Beatles – Yesterday and Today (second state)

Early versions had an album cover that was deemed too offensive.

Thousands were recalled and had a new cover pasted over the top.

Look for a ‘Black V’ in the bottom right.

 

8. The Beatles: Yesterday & Today

Another Beatles album makes the list, but this time for a slightly unusual reason.

The album ‘Yesterday and Today’ is not considered one of the band’s best, but it is highly prized by collectors.

The reason is that early pressings of the album featured a bizarre photograph of the band members covered in raw meat and dismembered dolls.

The vision of photographer Robert Whitaker was not appreciated by record executives and the album was soon pulled from the shelves, beof being reissued with a far tamer cover.

However, a few of these ‘Butcher Cover’ versions did slip through the cracks and are now extremely valuable.

In February 2013 a sealed mint condition copy of the album sold for $125,000 (£99,050) at auction.

But, even if you don’t have the butcher cover your record might be worth something.

Many of the records that were pulled simply had the new art pasted over the top to save money.

These hidden butcher covers are recognisable thanks to a ‘dark pyramid’ of Ringo’s hair which can just be made out on some copies.

If you have one of these ‘second state’ albums in good condition this could easily be worth thousands today.

9. The Beatles: ‘Til There Was You (10” acetate)

The final Beatles album to make the cut was once called the ‘Holy Grail’ for Beatles collectors.

This 10-inch acetate recording of ‘Til There Was You may well be the record that launched the Beatles because it was created as a demo for EMI who would release their biggest hits.

The test disk still bears the handwriting of the manager Brian Epstein and one of the track names ‘Hello Little Girl’ is misspelled on the vinyl as ‘Hullo Little Girl’.

The record was actually found in the attic of Les Maguire who said it had somehow come into his possession during his time playing keyboard for Gerry and the Pacemakers.

Mr Maquire sold the record to a private buyer in March 2016 for $97,800 (£77,500).

10. Aphex Twin: Caustic Window

While most of the records on this list were made before the 1970s, this latest record was only recorded in 1994.

Caustic Window is an album by electronic producer Aphex Twin which was considered to be lost.

However, the album had actually made its way to the test pressing phase, meaning that one copy of the album existed.

This test pressing was snapped up at auction in 2014 by ‘Notch’ the creator of Minecraft for $46,300 (£36,700).