1

Edward Furlong

Image: Logan Voss

Moving on from childhood is a natural transition for most people, except for child actors, who often experience it as a kind of identity loss, since they are publicly connected to their younger selves.

Edward Furlong is forever known as John Connor , the kid from Terminator 2: Judgment Day . Though he has appeared in some movies in minor roles, he never truly moved beyond his most famous role.

2

Macaulay Culkin

Image: Liubomyr Vovchak

One of the most famous child actors of all time, Macaulay Culkin, became a phenomenon with Home Alone , released more than 30 years ago. The film made him a household name.

Since then, Culkin has appeared in a few minor roles, but nothing approaching the impact of the movie that made him famous.

3

Carrie-Anne Moss

Image: Markus Spiske

Released in 1999, The Matrix quickly became a cultural phenomenon, and Carrie-Anne Moss shot to fame as Trinity .

She later appeared in the sequels and in a few Marvel projects, but Trinity remains her most iconic and defining role.

4

Tobey Maguire

Image: Stem List

Tobey Maguire became a Hollywood star thanks to his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man (2002) , with his upside-down kiss scene becoming iconic.

He returned for Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 before the franchise was rebooted with a new actor. But he reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), earning widespread acclaim from fans. So far, it remains the biggest role of his career.

5

Helen Hunt

Image: Ralf Sauter

Helen Hunt won four Emmys and three Golden Globes for Mad About You , and later earned an Oscar for As Good as It Gets .

Despite these honors, her later roles didn’t match the staying power of those roles. The Sessions (2012) marked one of the last peaks of her career in terms of critical acclaim, even though she has continued to take on other roles since then.

6

Demi Moore

Image: Taylor Heery

Demi Moore has often made headlines for her personal life, and while her acting career has included other notable roles ( G.I. Jane , A Few Good Men ), there is one that has truly stood the test of time.

Ghost (1990) , in which she starred alongside Patrick Swayze , remains her most successful and iconic role to this day.

7

Elijah Wood

Image: Ergo Zakki

Elijah Wood has taken on a variety of roles in films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Green Street Hooligans , as well as series like Wilfred and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency .

But despite his diverse work, most people still remember him best as Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings trilogy .

8

Anthony Perkins

Image: Maxime Roedel

Perhaps one of the earliest examples of an actor best known for a single role, Anthony Perkins is remembered above all for his portrayal of the murderous motel owner Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller Psycho .

He reprised the role in three sequels, none of which matched the success of the original film.

9

Christopher Reeve

Image: MeSSrro

Christopher Reeve became forever linked with Superman , a role that brought him both fame and typecasting. He chose roles carefully, hoping to protect the image of the character he had defined.

In his 1998 memoir Still Me , Reeve reflected on life before and after his 1995 accident, noting that Superman had both opened and limited doors in his acting career.

10

Hugh Jackman

Image: Jack O'Rourke

A man of many talents, Hugh Jackman is an actor, singer, and producer. But he is forever linked to the character that brought him international fame: Wolverine , from the X-Men film franchise .

Although he’s acclaimed for roles in The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables and has appeared in numerous films and stage shows, winning many awards, he is still best known to this day for his role as the mutant superhero.

11

Daniel Radcliffe

Image: Artem Maltsev

Another famous child actor, Daniel Radcliffe, rose to fame at age twelve for portraying the title character in the Harry Potter film series . He starred in all eight films, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 .

He has since appeared in a variety of roles, but none has matched the impact of his most famous one.

12

Mark Hamill

Image: Venti Views

The last entry on this list is one of the most iconic examples of an actor identified with a single role. Mark Hamill is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise .

And although he has also built a strong career as a voice actor (notably as the Joker), the movies were such a cultural phenomenon that his persona became forever linked to this character.

1

Randall Park Mall, Ohio

Image: Carl Raw

Randall Park Mall opened in 1976 when huge retail complexes were designed to be at the heart of their communities. It was one of the largest indoor malls in the country, with more than 200 shops. However by 2009, following years of declining business and the more immediate impact of the Great Recession, Randall Park Mall closed its doors.

Encompassing nearly 2.2 million square feet of space and reportedly costing $175 million to build, Randall Park Mall was deemed such a colossal miscalculation that it closed after only 33 years in operation and was demolished before reaching forty years.

2

Circle Centre Mall, Indiana

Image: Michael Weidemann

Circle Centre opened to the public on September 8, 1995, incorporating existing downtown structures such as the former L. S. Ayres flagship store. Real efforts were made in its design to incorporate historic elements, such as the retention of the facades of buildings that had previously existed on the site.

Most malls rely on their department and anchor stores to survive, but, with the closure of Nordstrom in 2011 and of Carson's on April 29, 2018, the mall has been left without any department stores. In response to the changing retail conditions, the mall has explored non-traditional uses; for example, in 2014 The Indianapolis Star moved its offices into part of the space vacated by Nordstrom.

3

East Hills Shopping Center, Missouri

Image: Alexander Kovacs

East Hills Shopping Center is an enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1965, as one of the first malls in the Midwestern U.S. After enjoying several decades of success during the early days of malls, East Hills lost many tenants throughout the 1990s.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many businesses to a close. On August 27, 2022, Dillard's permanently closed its doors followed by Party City in April 2023. The mall currently features JCPenney as its only anchor tenant.

4

Exton Square Mall, Pennsylvania

Image: mostafa meraji

The Exton Square Mall opened its doors in March 1973. Among its earlier memories, it holds the distinction of hosting the first Chick-fil-A restaurant on its premises.

In recent years, the mall has experienced an increase in vacancy rates, due to declining mall traffic and ongoing competition from the larger King of Prussia mall located 14 miles away. Many of the remaining stores are non-traditional tenants such as medical offices, a chess club, an art studio and gallery, and a chamber of commerce office.

5

Pittsburgh Mills Galleria, Pennsylvania

Image: Alexander Kovacs

Pittsburgh Mills Galleria is a dead mall that opened to much fanfare on July 14, 2005, but it never achieved the success its owners had hoped for. Only a year after opening, Lucky Strike Lanes closed and was eventually replaced with two restaurants and a banquet hall.

As of February 2023, there are only about 20 stores left, including 6 major chain stores. The food court, which once housed two full-service restaurants, a Starbucks, 10 counter restaurants, and several push-cart vendors, is now completely vacant.

6

Midway Mall, Ohio

Image: Pascal Bernardon

Midway Mall originally opened on September 22, 1966. Its anchor stores were Higbees, JCPenney, and Sears but over the years, brands changed and eventually left. As of 2023, with former anchor Dunham's Sports closing its branch there, it is considered a dead mall.

In 2023, the Lorain County Port Authority voted to buy and develop the mall site but, on May 1, 2024, the port authority sold the property to Industrial Commercial Properties, which intends to turn the mall into an industrial park.

7

Signal Hill Mall, North Carolina

Image: Ervan Sugiana

Signal Hill Mall was a regional enclosed shopping mall that opened in 1973 with more than 40 stores. The mall experienced a great deal of decline since the 2010s, losing most of its major stores throughout the decade and receiving significant media attention as an example of what is popularly known as a dead mall.

As of 2022, the mall has continued to decline, and despite discussions about the possibility of the mall being repurposed for non-retail use, nothing has been done. The mall is occasionally used as a space for community and recreational events by Statesville residents but that is all the activity on its premises.

8

Century III Mall, Pennsylvania

Image: Raymond Kotewicz

The eighth entry on this list hailing from Pennsylvania is an already abandoned mall. Century III Mall was built on a former slag dump and it operated from 1979 to 2019 - almost 40 years, which is not a bad number for a mall. It was the third-largest shopping mall in the world when it opened, but it has since been surpassed by much larger malls.

Following a similar route to the ones we have seen before, its occupancy rate fell from 40 percent in January 2016 to 10 percent by December 2017. Demolition of the mall began on March 26, 2024, starting with the attached external parking garage structure, but it will take a year until the entire structure is gone.

9

Gwinnett Place Mall, Georgia

Image: Casey Lovegrove

Stranger Things fans might recognize this building as the "Starcourt Mall" featured in the third season of the series. Once the leading mall in the region, Gwinnett Place Mall is now largely vacant.

It was challenged by the openings of the Mall of Georgia in 1999 and Sugarloaf Mills in 2001 and lost a large part of its customer base. It also failed to attract any new anchor stores for several years. In 2008, Gwinnett Technical College opened an International Education Center in the mall, where students take foreign language classes. Not much of a mall anymore.

10

Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center, California

Image: David Valentine

Let us close the list with Hawthorne Plaza , an abandoned enclosed shopping mall with 134 stores that opened in February 1977. It included an indoor mall with three anchor stores and freestanding stores. Despite its initial popularity, the mall went into decline in the 1980s and 1990s.

The number of occupied stores declined from 130 in the late 1980s to around 70 in 1998. The mall's final anchor, JCPenney, closed in 1998 and the mall itself closed in 1999. The southern section of the mall across from the parking structure was demolished in 1998 and rebuilt as a strip mall. It currently includes a supermarket, a pharmacy, and some small restaurants.

1

1959: (Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I

Image: Victrola Record Players

To better understand the music of the 1960s in the United States, one must first go back to the previous decade and revisit the major influences. The music of this era, especially rock and roll, stood out for its rebellious energy, strident guitar chords, and lyrics with messages of freedom.

And perhaps the greatest representative of this cultural change was the great Elvis Presley. In 1959 Elvis released "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I". The song, composed by Bill Trader, had already been recorded years before by other artists, but the King of Rock 'n' Roll's version became a platinum record. Thanks to Elvis and other iconic musicians such as Bill Haley and His Comets, Chuck Berry, and Fats Domino, at the beginning of the 1960s the music world stood on the verge of a true revolution.

2

1960: Will You Love Me Tomorrow

Image: chienba

One of the groups that defined the sound of the 60s was The Shirelles, and one of the songs that helped them reach the top was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", released in November 1960.

This song composed by Carole King and Gerry Goffin was not only The Shirelles' first number 1, but also became the first song by an African-American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

3

1961: Stand by Me

Image: Bru-nO

"Stand by Me" is probably one of the most beloved songs of all time. Not only was this song a massive hit when singer-songwriter Ben E. King released it in 1961, it was later listed as "the fourth most performed song of the 20th century". No wonder! It was recorded over 400 times by many notable artists such as Otis Redding, John Lennon, Tracy Chapman, and Florence and the Machine, among others.

4

1962: The Twist

Image: Sprinter_Lucio

Originally this song was released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters and later covered by Chubby Checker in 1960. However, two years later something incredible happened that would not be repeated until 59 years later. Checker's version of "The Twist" resurfaced in January 1962 setting a record as the only song to reach number 1 in two different runs. Do you remember this amazing hit inspired by the twist dance craze?

5

1963: Be My Baby

Image: BRUNO CERVERA

Released in August 1963, "Be My Baby" was The Ronettes' biggest hit. Composed by legendary record producer and songwriter Phil Spector, this song is regarded as the quintessential example of his Wall of Sound recording technique.

"Be My Baby" reached number 2 in the U.S., has been played on radio and TV over 3 million times, and has influenced dozens of artists of the golden era of rock and pop music.

6

1964: Oh, Pretty Woman

Image: Jack de Nijs for Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Long before the famous film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, "Oh, Pretty Woman" was an instant success. Released in August 1964, this song was the biggest hit of Roy Orbison, a major player in American popular music of the 1960s.

Orbison was inspired by his wife Claudette, which seems to have brought him luck: the song quickly reached number 1 and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

7

1965: Like a Rolling Stone

Image: Brett Jordan

Right in the middle of the decade, the leading exponents of the music scene of the time seem to have reached the pinnacle of creativity. Many songs that are still iconic today were released in 1965: "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)" by Otis Redding, "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" by The Byrds, "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel, and "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas & the Papas.

But perhaps the one who broke the mold and changed the history of music forever was Bob Dylan with his mythical song "Like a Rolling Stone". The worldwide hit not only remained at number 2 on the US Billboard charts for three months (the first song of its length to do so) but also marked Dylan's transformation from folk singer to rock star.

8

1966: God Only Knows

Image: Photographer: Sam Psoras, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Another turning point in the history of American music is the release of Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. The album, released in May 1966, is made up of one hit after another: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "You Still Believe in Me", just to name a few.

But probably one of the record’s greatest songs is the sophisticated and innovative "God Only Knows". Despite being an unusual sound for the group, some consider it the most beautiful melody ever composed. Even great musicians like Paul McCartney have picked it as their favorite song of all time. Undoubtedly, it is a work of art born from the brilliant mind of Brian Wilson.

9

1967: Sunday Morning

Image: Anastasia Saldatava

The debut studio album by the American rock band The Velvet Underground will forever be remembered for the famous banana on the cover designed by Andy Warhol and for being one of the most influential albums of the 60s.

Although the album was too controversial when it was released in March 1967 and initially was a commercial flop, over time the songs became legendary. For example, "Sunday Morning", with Nico's haunting vocals, a dreamy melody, and cheeky lyrics was recorded with the intention of making a hit. And in our humble opinion, it more than delivers!

10

1968: I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Image: Travis Yewell

Although it had been recorded before by other Motown Records artists, Marvin Gaye’s version of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" released in October 1968 is the one that went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart and stayed for seven weeks. Since then, the song has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is considered an acclaimed soul classic.

11

1969: I Want You Back

Image: Pexels

Another of Motown Records' iconic artists of the 1960s were the Jackson 5. "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the band in which a very young Michael Jackson took his first steps.

Released in October 1969 the song was performed on the band's first television appearances and became an instant hit. "I Want You Back" was number 1 on the Billboard charts and has sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

12

Bonus: Bridge Over Troubled Water

Image: Rob Bogaerts / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite the innovation experienced in rock and pop in the previous decade, the most successful song of 1970 was the work of a folk group, proving that the genre had not been forgotten and would forever be a staple of American music.

Recorded with a technique similar to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" and inspired by gospel music, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was Simon & Garfunkel's most successful single. The song won five Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year. Since then, more than 50 artists —including Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, and Elvis Presley— have released their own version of the beloved hit.