On 27th June 1985 the iconic Route 66 entered the realm of history after 59 years of fame because the American Association of State Highway and Transportation decertified the road and resolved to remove all its highway signs.
According to a New York Times article about its decertification, most of Route 66 followed a path through the wilderness forged in 1857 by US Navy Lieutenant Edward Beale at the head of a caravan of camels. Over the years wagon trains and cattle drives eventually made way for trucks and passenger automobiles.
Also known as the Will Rogers Highway or the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, Route 66 was one of the original highways within the US Highway System. It was established on 11th November 1926 with road signs erected the following year. Route 66 originally ran through 8 states from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It became one of the most famous roads in America and was recognized in popular culture by both the hit song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66″ and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s.
More recently, the historic highway was featured prominently in the animated film hit Cars (2006).