Wow, is that a computer or a prop from an old science fiction movie? In 1975 when this ad was published, computers were fairly uncommon. The travel industry was one of the first to utilize computers for booking and tracking reservations. Sometimes though, I wonder if those same computers are still in use today by the airlines and car rental companies, but I digress.

In last week's episode, we took a look back at the early days of Hertz and the car rental industry in general. Here we have a blast from the past -- a Hertz brochure from the early 20th century, back when they had just 15 locations.

Lots of cool things to take note of here... First off, you'll notice the reassuring text to tell people, "Our Cars NOT Painted Yellow". After all, who wants to take a date or a client out in a cab? How unfashionable! They eventually did drop the "Yellow" from the "Yellow Drive-It-Yourself" moniker.

Yes folks, it all started back in 1918 when 22-year old Walter L. Jacobs opened the first car rental business in Chicago with a fleet of 12 Model T Fords. Five years later, Jacobs sells the company to John Hertz, head of the Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck Company, and the company name and iconic black and yellow logo are on their way to being one of the most recognizable brands on the planet.

For those of you not old enough to remember, former running back, accused murderer and convicted felon OJ Simpson used to be Hertz's spokesman back in the day. He appeared in both print and TV ads such as this one, usually running through an airport terminal to his Hertz rental car.

Popular cliche would have us look back at the 1950s as a time when women stayed home and dreamed of shiny new toasters and vacuum cleaners. Not so. This Hertz ad from that decade targets the traveling businesswoman. The come-on? Rental car rates as low as $6/day! (plus 8 cents per mile, of course.)