Prompt Cast
The History and Legacy of Route 66
TLDR Route 66, originally planned to be called Route 60, was established in 1926 as a national road connecting Chicago to Los Angeles. Despite its official decertification in 1985, parts of the original Route 66 still exist and have become a popular tourist attraction, embodying the nostalgia of the old road.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Route 66 was established in 1926 as a national road connecting Chicago to Los Angeles, becoming a central object of popular culture.
02:28
Route 66 was originally planned to be called Route 60, but the delegation from Kentucky opposed this numbering.
04:13
Route 66 was established in 1926 as a 2,448 mile long road that went through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and it wasn't fully paved until 1937.
06:03
Route 66 became a significant route during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl as farmers traveled along it to find agricultural jobs in California, and this migration was captured in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath.
07:49
Despite restrictions on black tourists, Route 66 became a popular road for travel after World War II, and is most well-known today for the song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" by Nat King Cole.
09:33
The Interstate Highway System and other highways gradually replaced Route 66, resulting in its official decertification in 1985, but a revival of interest in the historic route soon followed.
11:19
Despite its official decertification in 1985, parts of the original Route 66 still exist and have become a popular tourist attraction, with many historic buildings along the route being renovated and towns like Siegelman, Arizona embodying the nostalgia of the old road.
