The Fuel Shortage This billboard appeared in 1980 while Iran held Americans hostage in Tehran (see “The Cold War Intensifies”). The Iranian revolution brought to power Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, pictured on the billboard, and created gasoline shortages and rising gas prices, vexing motorists all over the United States. The ad urges drivers to observe the fuel-saving 55-mile-per-hour speed limit imposed in 1974 during the first oil crisis.

Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Archives, David M. Rubinstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.