Remembering Our Icons

You know them. You love them. They’re the people that have driven commerce in America for decades: Ad icons. Wallet Pop recently remembered its Top 10 icons of all-time. Sadly, no mention of the "Dude, you’re gettin’ a Dell" guy. Here are a couple of gems:

6. The ‘Where’s the Beef’ Lady
"Where’s the beef?"
This campaign for Wendy’s fast-food restaurants starred an 81-year-old played by Clara Peller who was used to highlight Wendy’s massive amounts of meat in their burgers. By 1985, Peller was fired from Wendy’s after declaring that she had "found the beef" in an advertisement for Prego Plus spaghetti sauce. She then made a few guest appearances on television shows, but died at the age of 85 in 1987.

7. Life Cereal’s Mikey
"He likes it. Hey, Mikey!"
From 1971 to 1987, Life cereal ran an ad starring three young brothers, the most famous of which was Mikey, played by John Gilchrist, who portrayed the usually-picky eater as loving Life cereal. Gilchrist also appeared in more than 250 commercials for such products as Pepto Bismol, Skippy peanut butter, and Jell-O. Today, contrary to the popular rumor that he died from a diet of Pop Rocks and Coke, he works as a radio advertising executive.

Least Impressive Inauguration Speeches in American History

Yahoo! News ran an interesting article today (linked on Huffington Post) featuring some of the worst inauguration speeches presidents have ever made. Let’s hope President Obama can avoid this list. I found Thomas Jefferson’s to be most interesting, mainly because of the caustic nature in which he went after the media (some things are timeless):

After a soaring first address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was reelected and offered a sophomore effort that was an angry, monotone dud, historians say. Bitter at the "licentious" media and four years of attacks on his administration, the president was on the defensive and not as his inspirational best:

"During this course of administration, and in order to disturb it, the artillery of the press has been leveled against us, charged with whatsoever its licentiousness could devise or dare. These abuses of an institution so important to freedom and science, are deeply to be regretted, inasmuch as they tend to lessen its usefulness, and to sap its safety; they might, indeed, have been corrected by the wholesome punishments reserved and provided by the laws of the several States against falsehood and defamation; but public duties more urgent press on the time of public servants, and the offenders have therefore been left to find their punishment in the public indignation."

Can anyone else not pronounce "licentious?" I keep saying "licenshish." Anyway…

The worst likely remains William Henry Harrison’s (described in the article), whose 8,000-word address in the dead of winter may have ended up killing him. Now that’s a rough speech.

Electoral Maps Through the Years: From W. H. Harrison to “W”

With the presidential election on the top of many of our minds, you might be thinking about the esteemed history of the American presidency. Provided your historic curiosity stops at 1840, you’ll find these maps to be great fun.

And if you’re like me, you likely won’t be able to sleep tonight without knowing how the Know-Nothing Party fared in 1856. Turns out, not well.

But that’s alright; don’t feel too badly for Mr. Millard Fillmore. At least he was able to serve as president at some point. And hey, his fictional high school was the worthy home of the "Head of the Class" gang, featuring (and this is from memory) Mr. Moore, Dennis Blunden, Arvid Engen and sassy Maria … not to mention Eric, Simone and Jawaharlal. Yes! (Not sure what’s sadder — the fact that I know that or the pride I take in knowing it.)

Hat tip to Chamber marketing technology guru Glenn Harkness for passing the map site along.

Lack of History Education Could Plague Future Generations

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently posted a very worthwhile editorial from Barbara Davidson,  president of StandardsWork, Inc.

In the editorial, Davidson takes the collective American educational system to task for what she feels is an alarming disregard for history:

Every week, it seems, another study highlights how little knowledge our young people possess about history, civics and geography. Earlier this year, Common Core found that half of the 17 year olds polled didn’t know whom Senator McCarthy investigated or what the Renaissance was, while the Bradley Foundation told us that most eighth graders couldn’t explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. The list goes on. In 2006, National Geographic revealed that nearly two-thirds of 18-24 year olds could not identify Iraq on a map of Asia, and fully 88 percent could not find Afghanistan — apparently refuting Ambrose Bierce’s suggestion that "War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography." 

As someone approaching 30, I can honestly say that, despite the fact that I had some incredible teachers at my high school and occasionally in college (both public schools), my knowledge of history was painfully lacking. And I think it was more an indictment of the curriculum, rather than the actual educators. What’s more, after college, I soon realized what I thought I had learned in my political science classes in college had been presented with more than a little bias. Most of what I know of history has been read from books in the last eight years or so, and I’m still wanting for information — if my answers to "Jeopardy" questions are any indication. (Apparently, Noam Chomsky was NOT Cliff Clavin’s best friend on "Cheers.")

Anyway, it’s nice to see David McCullough was also referenced in this editorial:

During Congressional testimony in 2006, historian David McCullough described how human beings have a natural interest in history and find it to be a source of pleasure. He went on to say that "to deny our children that pleasure is to deny them a means of extending and enlarging the experience of being alive."

McCullough’s book, "John Adams," was recently made into a highly-acclaimed miniseries by HBO (which I thoroughly enjoyed).

So kudos to Davidson for her eye-opening piece on the lack of social studies in American schools.

And let us not forget the past, remembering the words of George Santayana: "A country without a memory is a country of madmen."

Brilliant words from the man who once graced us with such efforts as "Oye Como Va" and "Black Magic Woman."