Lee Iacocca gave us two American classics: the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler minivan. The first was intended to compete with the Chevy Corvair Monza. The latter was designed to take the place of vans and station wagons that were becoming less practical for many families.

Most people today probably could not identify a Corvair Monza if they were riding in it. The last one rolled off the assembly line in 1969 and it quickly faded into automotive history.

Full size vans ...

From the 1940s through the 1970s, Southern grandmothers always had candy dishes on the living room coffee table.

The tradition dates back to the late 1800s, when Emily Post etiquette books dictated that you kept some sweets in the parlor for when company came. Simple sugar cubes or bonbons were the norm then. A hostess was expected to have something small and pleasant to offer visitors, and candy was inexpensive enough that almost any household could manage it.

Then, the candy wasn’t ...