Moonlight Tower from Dazed and Confused

Austin, Texas

Austin was one of the first cities in the U.S. to have electric street lights. But that was in 1894, and individual lights on single poles weren't yet practical. Instead, Austin bought used "Moonlight Towers" from Detroit, 150 feet tall, ringed by carbon arc lamps so bright that citizens could supposedly read their wristwatches nearly a quarter-mile away. The towers probably weren't popular with people trying to sleep nearby, but they were credited with putting a stop to a serial killer nicknamed The Servant Girl Annihilator.

Fifteen of the Moonlight Towers are still standing. This one in Zilker Park is the most famous, as it was featured in the high school keg party scene of the 1993 cult film "Dazed and Confused." Its carbon arc lamps were long ago replaced by less harsh mercury vapor lamps, but it still glows all night long.