Yestervid's video: 5 Things You Never Knew About Keep Calm And Carry On

Vintage war posters have made a comeback recently. Hipsters worldwide have embraced their retro coolness that says, 'I'm a patriot, but ironically.' There are hundreds of poster designs around, but there's one that is something of a legend. A rebel. The drunken rock star of the poster world. This guy. Keep calm and carry on. It's arguably the most recognizable piece of propaganda art in history. And just like every rock star has an entourage, Keep Calm has its memes. Now Panic and Freak Out. Keep Calm and Make Tea. Keep Calm and Call Batman. But how did Keep Calm become such an A-list celebrity? How did it beat the odds to become Britain's national wallpaper? Where did the original design come from? At the beginning of World War II, the British government knew people were not in the mood for another war, so they launched several expensive publicity campaigns to keep the public on side. Keep Calm was the first such campaign. The poster was made in 1939, and even by modern standards, it's great design. It's simple, striking and emotive. We're not sure who designed it, but some have credited a guy called Ernest Wallcousins. We don't know who came up with the slogan either, similar phrases had been used before. Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Monday 17 August 1914 - British Newspaper Archives What does it mean? Keep calm and carry on is basically saying, 'Don't freak out'. It admits that your world has gone to hell, but is politely asking you not to lose your berries. Stand firm. Stiff upper lip. British stoicism at it's finest. Why was it made? A poster campaign in a war might feel a bit like a fart in a snowstorm, but they did play an important part. Remember, the country was being bombed every night. In the morning, if you were still alive, you woke up to a city on fire and a hole where your house used to be. Ask yourself, would you go to work? Now the genius economists of the time figured out that if people didn't go to work, the economy would collapse, the country would go bankrupt and the UK would lose the war. So no pressure then. That's why, in salute to those 5 little words, we've come up with 5 lesser-known facts about Keep Calm and Carry On. 1. Keep Calm was made before the war even started. The poster was designed in the Spring of 1939, and Britain only entered the war in September. By early 1939, the government knew that war was coming. Germany had mobilised its military and occupied Czechoslovakia. Kristallnacht and Hitler's ranting speeches were making Europe very nervous. They also knew they would suffer large scale air bombing, and the plan was to send the Keep Calm posters to any city that was bombed. Two and a half million posters were printed before a single shot was fired. 2. Keep Calm had a rough childhood The poster has two brothers: "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" and "Freedom Is in Peril, Defend It With All Your Might". Mmm. Catchy. In fact, at the time Keep Calm was the runt of the litter. It was seen as too short, not empathetic and voted least likely to succeed. 3. Few people ever saw the poster While the bombs came thick and fast, the posters didn't. It was felt that it was condescending and wouldn't resonate with the public. So the government pulled the plug and only a handful were ever distributed. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - 22 October 1940 This paper from 1940 describes a shop, with a "red poster - 'Keep calm and carry on'." The posters were eventually recycled into pulp. 4. A survivor was discovered in 2000 Once the dust of war had settled, the poster was forgotten. For 60 years there was no mention of it. Then, in 2000 a single poster was found in a box of dusty old books. Barter Books in Alnwick, put it in their window and pretty soon were fighting off historians. In a flash of brilliance, they decided to make copies and sell them. Apparently they sell about 1000 a month, and have sold posters to 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. It is now thought to be worth about £20000. 5. Keep Calm and Sue Someone It turns out, selling mugs and tea towels in Piccadilly Circus is big business. In a cheeky move, a UK company trademarked the phrase Keep Calm and Carry On and has been trying to stop others from selling products with the slogan. This seems odd, but then, so is law. Bonus Fact The Keep Calm and Carry On font If you're going to troll the world with yet another meme, at least use the right font. The original lettering was likely hand drawn, but the closest typeface is probably called Caslon Egyptian. However, today there are several fonts called Keep Calm which closely match the original. So there you have it. Keep Calm and Carry On - the rock star with humble beginnings that rose to fame against the odds to become Britain's most famous war poster. Is it a call to hold fast in the face of danger or is it cheap propaganda? You decide.