Our Troops: Coke as a Reminder of Home During WWII

Many of the Coca-Cola Stories I read tell of how Coke was a simple reminder of home when someone was away from family or overseas.

During World War II, that certainly was the case.

I found this story in an old Coca-Cola magazine, called The Red Barrel, from September 1944. Our magazine was reprinting a story from the July 29 Army Times newspaper.

Bottle of Coke, Birthday Gift, Brings Joy to Bed-Ridden Yank
GEORGE FIELD, Illinois -- How a mere bottle of carbonated beverage brought a flood of tears and happiness to a Yank patient in a hospital in New Guinea is revealed in a letter received here recently by a civilian employee from a former Red Cross worker at George Field. Excerpts from the letter follow:

“I am somewhere in New Guinea ... it is tropical in climate and rather difficult to become used to. … We folks over here will never take things for granted again, things that we regard as necessities are now luxuries, and I'm sure they will remain so to us.

“The problem of birthday cakes for patients and other small items can really be a problem. So far we've always managed somehow to have something. One of the boys had been hovering between life and death for weeks. One day when he awoke, he realized that it was his birthday. It was too late to have a cake for him and he was on a liquid diet anyway. Someone had promised me a bottle of coke, so I collected it, wrapped it up fancy, and trotted over. You've never seen such a look of joy on anyone’s face.

When I left, he lay there clutching the Coke to his breast ... smiling ... with tears rolling down his cheeks, saying over and over, “Lord bless you ... Miss.” That guy knew how ‘impossible’ it is to get a Coke as it was the first he had seen since he left the ‘Old Country.’”

That’s a bit more dramatic than most of our stories, but the truth is that Coca-Cola is a simple moment of pleasure and a familiar item when you’re away. It certainly was for this man.

Do you have a Coca-Cola Story (from today or 50 years ago)? Share it with me!

Friday Fun-Delivering Coke in Ireland

Coca-Cola salespeople are known for their resourcefulness in getting our products to customers, regardless of where they are located.In this 1964 photograph, a salesman uses a cable car to make his delivery to a cafe 1,000 feet above Bray, a holiday resort in Ireland.

You are invited to submit a clever caption for this photo. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 11 at 5pm. A winner will be selected on Thursday, March 12.

We Have A Winner-Thirst Knows No Season

We had a lot of participation in last week’s contest. I think that there are several people who have promising careers in the advertising industry. Listed below are all of the creative entries:

• If you thought the last poster was a bit odd, wait until you see this one!"
• "A hat, a scarf, and a Coke. What else could bring a smile to our judges’ faces?"
• "Come rain or shine: its always Coke time!"
• Scarf Down A Coke.
• "Luckily, ice cold Coca-Cola has a scarf on to keep warm during the winter."
• 'Thirst Knows No Season' and these advertisers know no limits!
• If you're wearing a hat and scarf, reach for a Coke; unless you're wearing gloves too!
• Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
• Coca-Cola covers it all!
• Frosty The Snowman melted, leaving only his (Coke) button nose, scarf, magic top hot and an unopened bottle of ice cold Coke. But don't you worry, 'cause he'll be back again someday!
• THIRST SNOWS NO SEA SUN.
• "Twenty-Three Skiddoo and lets go, Honey! We'll get a Coke with two straws, for a nickel's worth of money!"
• Whether boating in winter or skiing in summer, Coca-Cola will keep your inside temp at the perfect number!
• Summer check, Fall check, Winter check, alright where did Spring disappear to. Coca-Cola is Great for all 4 Seasons. Winter chimes in "Spring drink a six pack and is having a sugar rush and went Skiing.
• . . . and Coke has no Season, its a year-round drink
• If you've got Spring Fever, you've got to get Coca-Cola!
• Coca-Cola; the perfect way to clean out your closet.
• Drink Coca-Cola when you're 'hot n cold.'
  "Grabbed my scarf and grabbed my hat...
  Drank a Coke in seconds flat"
• Coca-Cola: The perfect drink for when you're playing strip poker.
• Thirst knows no season...
• I should introduce them to each other sometime!
• "Look at all this cool stuff that I got using My Coke Rewards!"
• Thank heavens, without any warning, out of a clear blue sky. . . There was COKE!
• Even in the blue vault and celestial regions, there's COKE!
• Just in case you weren't sure, this is an ad for Coca-Cola.
• "Button" up your coat, put on your hat, wrap a scarf 'round your neck, it's never to cold to drink a Coke.
• You certainly don't need a Reason
  Ice Cold bottle is so Pleasin'
  Scarf and Hat, keep from Freezin'
  Realize Thirst knows no Season
  Coca-Cola

This week’s winner posted by Diane is: Frosty The Snowman melted, leaving only his (Coke) button nose, scarf, magic top hot and an unopened bottle of ice cold Coke. But don't you worry, 'cause he'll be back again someday!

We will be sending Diane a nice(?) prize in a few days.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a new contest!

The First Coca-Cola Cup

The Atlanta Motor Speedway is preparing for its 100th NASCAR race this weekend. The track, which is about 20 miles south of Atlanta, held its first race on July 31, 1960, but Coke and motorsports also have a long history in Atlanta that goes back a century.

Coca-Cola’s founder, Asa Candler, helped foster the fledgling sport of racing by creating the Atlanta Speedway in 1909 in the land that now houses Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. In that year's Coca-Cola Cup (which christened the new raceway), Louis Chevrolet was the driver who walked off with the trophy plus $600 in gold after driving at the breakneck speed of 70 mph! As you can see in this image of the coveted Coca-Cola Trophy, the statue held up a torch with a wheel and wings coming out of it.

Louis Chevrolet, who drove in a Buick, finished the race in a time of 1:23:24.

Betty, Elaine and Constance are Not Really So

During the 1910s, Coca-Cola advertising featured a different “Coca-Cola Girl” each year. Often the same image of a woman was used on calendars, trays, pocket mirrors and other collectible pieces for the year.

In a few instances, the Coca-Cola Girl was referred to by name, such as “Betty,” “Elaine” or “Constance.”

However, those names were not the names of the models themselves! They’re actually names assigned to the artwork by someone in advertising!

Collectors know these pseudonyms, and we use those names in the Coke Archives as well.

“Betty” from 1914:
 

“Elaine” from 1915:

“Constance” from 1917:

Betty, Constance and Elaine have appeared on Coke collectibles well after their original years, including modern-day licensed items. So just because that tray you have features “Betty,” don’t think you have a fortune in your hands!