Most of us know Back to the Future as the series of mega-hit movies that many couldn’t imagine the 1980s without, but the first film almost didn’t get made. Co-creator Bob Gale once revealed that studios rejected the script more than 40 times before it finally got off the ground.

It’s a darn good thing that it did, because the adventures of Marty McFly brought people to movie theaters in their droves. Even now, Back to the Future is the kind of thing you will unexpectedly end up watching because there’s a rerun on late night TV. 

Between Doc Brown, the DeLorean, and the countless quotable lines, it’s no surprise that the franchise has been an inspiration for memes aplenty. You may be disappointed that you can’t, in fact, travel through time and space by going at 88mph, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some humor surrounding the premise. Great Scott!