Certain smells instantly transport us back to familiar places from our past, especially old retail stores. These distinctive aromas create lasting memories that many people recognize even years later.
Some smells are so specific that they can send you straight back to a moment you forgot you even remembered. Household odors might seem ordinary, but many of them are emotional time machines in disguise.
Here's a list of classic kitchen aromas from American homes that stir powerful memories of mid-century meals and family traditions.
Here's a list of nostalgic childhood items that had strange, sometimes unpleasant smells — but we loved them just the same.
Certain cafeteria smells have a way of instantly taking you back to school days, when the simplest scents stirred up the strongest memories.