It’s not often you come across a luxury cruise ad that omits their massive ship sailing along a crystal blue ocean. Or enthused guests basking beneath the island sun. This 1930 ad took an entirely different approach. In fact, this ad excels where many advertisements today fall short — the copy. The headline alone –“When men develop NERVES” — would catch the eye of anyone perusing the morning paper. Although the message is a bit chauvinistic, we’ll cut them some slack for the persuasiveness and creativity of the body copy. After all, the ad ran nearly 87 years ago.

FUN FACT: Founded as the International Navigation Company, The International Mercantile Marine Co. began as a trust formed in the early twentieth century by J.P. Morgan. His goal was to monopolize the shipping trade, a plan that failed miserably. After undergoing a series of corporate acquisitions and mergers, the company became United States Lines in 1943. (Source: Wikipedia)

NOT-SO-FUN FACT: The White Star Line fleet included the ill-fated RMS Titanic. (Source: Titanic-WhiteStarShips.com)