If you’ve spent any time on the internet at all, you’ve seen the words “Keep Calm and Carry On” combined with a little crown to form a logo that you’d likely see on a poster or a t-shirt. It’s sort of everywhere. Especially when something bad happens. I’ve seen people even use it as their Twitter avatar and/or their Facebook profile pic. Naturally, this being the internet, there are countless variations of it floating around as well. “Now Panic and Freak Out” is a popular one.
But did you ever stop to wonder where this all originated? I sure have! As it turns out, “Keep Calm and Carry On” was originally a British propaganda poster printed during World War II that was never released to the general public for whatever reason. But then, in 2000, a bookstore owner in the U.K. discovered one stuffed away in an old box — it was then framed and hung in the store. People liked it, so the store started printing replicas. A genuine phenomenon was born — and a poster printed over 70 years ago is now an iconic image in the 21st century. Imagine that! The delightful video below explains it all. Enjoy…
(HT: Kottke)