Potato Pete propaganda, NARA IDs 44266925 and 44266927.
Happy #National POTATO Day! By Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs
"POTATO PETE" GOES TO WAR! Years before #MrPotatoHead, Potato Pete helped the Allies fight the Nazis! Not sure which gov't communicator associated potatoes with military strength, but this series of wartime posters - including Airborne spuds -- promoted potatoes as "fighting food" at a time of food scarcity.
NARA ID 44266921.
NARA ID 44266923.
Before “Freedom Fries” -“POTATRIOTS”! Potatoes helped in World War I, as well! U.S. citizens were encouraged to eat more potatoes while wheat was being sent to the soldiers overseas.
Iowa potatoes are "the Newest Fighting Corps." NARA ID 283501.
Hungry for more food history? Check out our online exhibit, What’s Cooking Uncle Sam, to learn:
What’s “Exploding ketchup”?
Why were some gov’t volunteers called the “Poison Squad”?
How can donuts improve morale?
What was Queen Elizabeth’s recipe for scones?
Is coffee truly “wholesome and nourishing”?
More online: Potatriots: The original Freedom Fries, Pieces of History Potatoes in Iowa Become "The Newest Fighting Corps" on the Domestic Front, Docs Teach National French Fry Day, NARA Tumblr
