Eons ago, before the Age of Computers (or, roughly 1975), we only needed a few passwords, called “keys” – a key for the house & car, and maybe a PO Box or Safety Deposit Box pretty much covered it. Even the Masterlock® 3-digit combination lock on your school locker probably had a keyway. And, you could always tell who had the real power by the size of the keyring tethered to their pants with a spring-loaded cable – it wasn’t the CEO, Pope, or School Superintendent… it was usually the Janitor.

Today, thanks to the overwhelming pervasiveness of computers and the interwebs, we live in a world of passwords. Just getting onto the interwebs requires one, and then it seems as if every single online store, bank, news site, sports outlet, forum, chat room, etc., ad nauseam requires at least one. Heck, even your passwords might require a password. So, it’s not surprising the most popular passwords are “123456” and “password“: Laziness aside, it’s tough coming up with one password that’s “easy for you to remember but difficult for someone else to guess“, let alone fifty or sixty.

And, once again, you can always tell who has the real power by the number of passwords they stole from that online location you entrusted with your personal information  – it still isn’t the CEO, Pope, or School Superintendent… it’s now a dedicated hacker in an ex-Soviet State or Chinese university, or some kid looking for a job with Microsoft or their Uncle Sam.

However, there was a time – the halcyon days of the 1990′s – when passwords were less sophisticated and more fun: Especially, those from the myriad of internet providers anxious to sign you up to a lifetime of monthly servitude for non-stop interweb access. The most aggressive of these was AOL, who distributed their sign-up CDs like ticker tape at a parade or GSA housing loans, or the Department of Energy. Aside from the obvious benefits of the CD – signing up for AOL, and an almost limitless supply of free plastic jewel cases whether you signed up or not – there was a third benefit: The use of a pair of ordinary words in order to sign up for their service.  These “password pairs” chosen by AOL and their competitors were not only cleverly entertaining but occasionally editorial (Unlike Google’s CAPTCHA, which simply uses a pair of random words to verify access… how unimaginative!)

So, without too much more unnecessary verbiage, here’s a few of my favorite “password pairs” for your entertainment (my personal favorite is “Faulty-Fealty”):

…and, here’s a few more of my favorites:

If you have a favorite of your own, send me a photo or scan of it and I’ll include it here.

Thanks for reading!