Hello All: Yes a good question, when did CB radio get Crazy. It always has been some what Nutzoid.
The Eisenhower Administration after the Soviet Satellite Sputnik was put up before our satellites in the space race, went full throttle to get the main stream of the public into the sciences and technologies, there by the CB Radio Service was generated. Bypassing the Amateur Radio Service, probably due to its unfriendly reputation.
At our High School we use to have Basket Ball Courts in a corner of the high school, probably 200 by 700 feet in area. New Science Buildings were put up there, with federal money (I believe) and Math, Science, Biology, Chemistry, and other sciences were placed there. And a renewed interest in the shop class's also had money put into them. As again new buildings were put up for Automotive, Wood, Metal, and Electronics shops. They even offered special two period class's industrial arts for those who wanted the more involved coverage of the shop class's. Now dropped by the academic world and bean counters.
The CB radio Service did just what they wanted it to do as many Americans picked a radio and started up talking and becoming interested in Radio Communications and other Sciences. I know I am one of them, with a 50 year plus carrier in the radio and electronics fields and still love it.
Like others have said the 55 mile an hour speed limit was just a challenge for the public spurring on the use of CB Radio, and of course, Smokey and the Bandit was also a big stir in popularizing the CB Radio Service. But surly the ability for folks to just talk to each other over a few miles was a big shoot in the arm also.
Because the CB band 11 meters is a rich skip band this also was fueled for the fire for public interest. As a kid on my Llyodds 901 Walkie Talkies, powered by a 9 volt transistor battery, I could hear skip stations from back east booming into the Southern California, but they never answered me....
The truckers have used the CB Radio for many years, and probably saving thousands of lives.
So the CB Band has earned its keep in many many ways, despite the nuts and foul language heard on it at times.
On the local scene here, I hear the old older hams talking on CH 40 LSB to each other late at night exchanging DX Frequencies and such. But they will not acknowledge you unless your a WWII CW Operator then your one of the boys, but I still get a kick out of them at times as I break in and say hello. Sometimes I get a Hello back.
Jay in the Mojave