Ads from 1960: Where are They Now?

Many of today's trade magazine ads are sophisticated enough to pass muster on Madison Avenue. That wasn't always the case with ads that appeared more than a half century ago. Some were all business, some were clever and a few were downright silly. Viewed through today's lens, however, those old ads have a charm that make you want to study them and imagine what it was like to be a business on the receiving end of these messages.

Material Handling & Logistics went into its archives and pored through the ads that appeared in the 1960 editions of Material Handling Engineering, MH&L's grandfather (1946-2000). What you'll see in this gallery are the ones that jumped out to us for their humor, their hokum and their historic value. Before reading our description of each one, see if you know, or can guess, which companies are still alive and competing today. You may be surprised. You'll also be surprised at the way many of them met their end.