On this day, April 30, 1926, the number 66 was assigned to a Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Tue May 23, 2023, 09:55 AM - Edit history (2)

Sat Apr 30, 2022: On this day, April 30, 1926, the number 66 was assigned to a Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway.

Hat tip, Google doodles

Celebrating Route 66

2,780,214 views Apr 29, 2022

GoogleDoodles
2.09M subscribers

Today’s video Doodle takes you on the ultimate American road trip, a journey along the historic Route 66. The iconic highway—known for its retro diners, quirky motels, eclectic art installations and extraordinary landscapes—connects Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. On this day in 1926, the name “U.S. 66” was first proposed for the cross-country route.

Learn more: https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-route-66
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Wikipedia says that April 30, 1926 was the big day.

U.S. Route 66



U.S. Route 66

Route information
Length: 2,448 mi (3,940 km)
Existed: November 26, 1926–June 26, 1985
Tourist routes: Historic Route 66

U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before terminating in Santa Monica in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both the 1946 hit song " (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 " and the Route 66 television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. In John Steinbeck's classic American novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), the road "Highway 66" symbolized escape and loss.

US 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive in the face of the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.

US 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, but was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985 after it had been replaced in its entirety by segments of the Interstate Highway System. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been communally designated a National Scenic Byway by the name "Historic Route 66", returning the name to some maps. Several states have adopted significant bypassed sections of the former US 66 into their state road networks as State Route 66. The corridor is also being redeveloped into U.S. Bicycle Route 66, a part of the United States Bicycle Route System that was developed in the 2010s.

{snip}

Birthplace and rise of US 66


The route sign from 1926 to 1948



Modern 'historic' signage in Chicago

The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route on April 30, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri. A placard in Park Central Square was dedicated to the city by the Route 66 Association of Missouri, and traces of the "Mother Road" are still visible in downtown Springfield along Kearney Street, Glenstone Avenue, College, and St. Louis streets and on Route 266 to Halltown, Missouri.

{snip}

Let's get right to it.

NAT KING COLE ROUTE 66
4,270,531 views Aug 22, 2006

anneesvinyl
21.1K subscribers

NAT KING COLE
OFFICIAL FAN CLUB GENE VINCENT "LONELY STREET"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/GENE-VI... (Facebook)
OFFICIAL FAN CLUB LONELY STREET GENE VINCENT
On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/GENE-V... -- Website (underconstruction but open ) http://gene.vincent.fanclub.voila.net/
Forum http://gene-vincent-forum.niceboard.c...
Lee-Loo
ANNEES VINYL
Detail : http://genevincent.weebly.com/

In case that link goes down, here's the same video at another link.

Nat King COLE & His Trio " Route 66 " !!!
208,159 views May 24, 2010

JUSTASITTINANDAROCK
13.7K subscribers

RARE OLDIES SOUNDIES WITH MR NAT KING COLE & HIS TRIO ! Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres. He was the first black American to host a television variety show and has maintained worldwide popularity over 40 years past his death; he is widely considered one of the most important musical personalities in United States history. You can watch all my rare oldies soundies on : http://www.myspace.com/swingcocktail ! Many thanks , NICKY .

That's nice, but this can't be beat. Live, from Austin, Texas, via KUTX:

Asleep At The Wheel - Route 66 (Live in Studio 1A)
3,142,440 views Sep 11, 2013

KUTX Austin
104K subscribers

Western swing band, Asleep at the Wheel, stopped by Studio 1A to pay homage to a timeless classic, "Route 66" Sept. 4, 2013.

Here's another version. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Asleep at The Wheel - Get Your Kicks on Route 66 [OFFICIAL LIVE VIDEO]
140,503 views Apr 2, 2014

Smith Music
22.8K subscribers

"Get Your Kicks on Route 66" - Asleep at The Wheel Live at Billy Bob's Texas

Liberace was a big boogie woogie fan. I wonder if he ever covered this.

Hey, it's George Clooney's aunt.

Bobby Troup - Route 66 (1956)
1,694 views May 21, 2015

vintage video clips
53.7K subscribers

Bobby Troup with Dorothy Malone & Rosemary Clooney performing Route 66 (1956)

Let's hear from Nelson Riddle.

NELSON RIDDLE Route 66 Theme
273,213 views Apr 24, 2016

felixbautista
56.2K subscribers

{snip}

Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra

{snip}

I wasn't aware that Route 66 went to the shores of Tripoli, but what do I know?

RIDDLE Theme From Route 66 - Marine Jazz Orchestra
2,758 views Jul 2, 2021

United States Marine Band
98.4K subscribers

Broadcast on May 27, 2021, from Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, as part of the Marine Band's 2021 Virtual Showcase Concert Season.

[CanonRay]

1. Took this with my parents in 1963 at age 12, from Chi to L.A..

The old man was always going 100 in his Buick Wildcat.