9th August 1944: Smokey Bear, the forest fire prevention mascot, first appears on a poster in the United States

Produced in cooperation with the Ad Council, the first Smokey Bear poster, released on 9 August 1944, showed the bear pouring a bucket of water onto a campfire beneath the message, “Smokey says – Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires.” The illustration was created by artist Albert Staehle, whose friendly but authoritative depiction proved immediately ...