Monday, August 23, 2010

Keep Calm and Carry On



I'm always seeing this phrase all over the internet - on posters, books, t-shirts. But I never knew what the story was behind it. It was only when I stumbled across this website that I found out. This is going to be a bit text heavy, but I urge you to persist, it's just so interesting if you're a bit history obsessed like me!

Turns out that it's actually related to World War II. The Ministry of Information was formed by the British government in WWII, and was the department responsible for publicity and propaganda. After the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of Information produced a number of posters that were designed to boost morale. The first two posters featured King George VI's crown and featured the phrases 'Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution will Bring Us Victory' and 'Freedom is in Peril'. They were displayed all over Britain.

'Keep Calm and Carry On' was the third poster, and it was planned to be put up once Germany invaded Britain. Since this didn't happen, it was never displayed publically. All the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' posters were believed to be destroyed at the end of the war, but 60 years later a bookseller discovered a poster in a pile of old books (I love when things like this happen!) he'd purchased from an auction. There are also a few displayed in British museums. And since copyright on works created by the British government expires after 50 years, the poster is has been reprinted and inspired all sorts of products.

I think I'm going to have to buy a poster now, cause of the history behind it as well as the fact that I really like the phrase. Have a look over here, it's a site that sells all sorts of Keep Calm and Carry on products, t-shirts, books, posters...even chocolate bars. It sells pretty much everything actually :).

Monday, August 2, 2010

Very nearly sixteen.


It's my birthday quite soon, on the 5th of August. I'm just starting to get excited. I love birthdays, just everything about them :). And of course, you can't have a birthday without a wishlist:

• Matt Smith as Doctor Who poster
• Leather satchel
• Cuckoo clock
• Map of the world (has anyone else noticed how good they look on walls? It's also to motivate me to get to the places I want to go to once I've finished school)
• A good book or two
• Vintage camera to add to my very small collection of three
• Typewriter
• More pretty tights
• Matt Smith to jump out of one of those huge novelty cakes
•Doctor Who + Harry Potter DVDs wouldn’t go astray either...

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