I swear I saw a mower ad in a 1950's National Geographic magazine depicting a B&S engine with the exposed circular spinning vent and being amazed to find they were around that far back.
As for Ford V8s, I was told the Windsor was developed to replace the rather lacklustre V8 predecessors.
As for Chevrolets, my knowledge is very limited. I only know about the LS1 that the VT series II Commodores started using and the 305 Chevy used in their U.S Caprice cars in the 1980s.