10 Things That Were Renamed Weird Because Of A War
Modern warfare contains many more weapons and tactics than just those on the battlefield. Propaganda is often used by all sides to maintain morale, turn public sentiment against the enemy, and quell dissent. In addition to the usual means of propaganda such as posters and broadcasts, references to hostile states are often erased from society.
This can happen automatically when companies and people realize that sentiment has shifted, or it can be legislated by politicians. Examples of both can be found in almost every war of the 20th and 21st centuries. This has led to some interesting renaming of all sorts of things, some of which have stuck and are still used, while others reverted to their old names. Here are ten of the strangest wartime renamings.
Related: 10 weird place names and the stories behind them
10 French fries and French toast
In 2003, US lawmakers were banned from ordering fries in three Washington cafeterias. Instead, they were required to order a side of “freedom fries” with their meals or “freedom toast” instead of French toast with breakfast. While some cafeteria workers called the change “completely ridiculous,” it was made by two lawmakers as a symbolic gesture to express their disapproval of France’s decision not to support the US invasion of Iraq.
Private restaurants in the United States reportedly did the same, though the name didn’t stick and relations between the US and France eventually thawed. Other countries also opposed the invasion, including Germany and Russia, but France was accused of leading the opposition. And luckily for the others, they don’t lend their names to many foods.[1]
9 Towns
Renaming cities was surprisingly common during the two world wars. Before them, there were many Berliners in the world. One was in Colusa County, California. During World War II, the city received a telegram urging them to change their name. All cities called Berlin received the same request. However, the one in Colusa County never responded.
When journalists wanted to know why, they found that the name had already been changed 26 years earlier in response to anti-German sentiment during World War I. Another city that changed its name during World War I was Germantown. Historians reported that the city had to change after a train of troops stopped there. After seeing the sign with the name of the city, soldiers became enraged and heavily damaged the station.[2]
8 The royal surname
In a time long before modern public relations consultants could be consulted, Britain’s King George V made a smart decision that not only secured his place on the throne, but also secured a place for the royal family in Britain’s future. In 1917, after three brutal years of war against Germany, anti-German sentiment abounded in the UK. The problem was that the royal family had German ancestry and relations.
The king’s cousin was the emperor of Germany and his wife was German. The dynasty to which the family belonged was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which, often used in place of a surname, was a dead giveaway of their German roots. The king saw trouble – and perhaps even a revolution – on the horizon if he did nothing. So he created a family name and chose the more British-sounding “Windsor” for himself and his descendants.[3]
7 Dog breeds
Another name that changed in 1917, although it officially returned in 1977, was that of the German Shepherd Dog. The dogs were used extensively by both sides during the two world wars, but with Germany being the enemy, it didn’t sit well with some people that the dogs were called German Shepherds.
In response, the name was changed, although it took a few different forms. The American Kennel Club dropped “German” from the name in 1917, while the British went for a complete rebranding. They chose the name “Alsatian”, which refers to a French town in an area occupied by Germany in an earlier war.[4]
6 Coffee
In the early 1900s, it was popular for Parisian cafes to mimic those in Vienna. Viennese coffee culture was seen as luxurious and sophisticated. Many cafes in France served café viennois, a hot, sweet drink based on coffee with whipped cream. When World War I broke out in 1914, public opinion about Germany in France soured. In addition to Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire fought in the war, of which Vienna was the capital.
The public disliked all German-sounding names, so savvy café owners quickly renamed Café Viennois to Café Liégeois. The name derives from the city of Liège in Belgium, the site of a famous battle where the Belgians unexpectedly delayed the German advance into France by 12 days. The resistance cost the Germans considerable resources, including 5,000 men, and gave France more time to prepare its defenses.[5]
5 Spanish flu
This deadly pandemic has not exactly been renamed by war. The First World War determined the name it was given, but we don’t know what it would have been called had it not been for the wartime conditions. It was unlikely that the Spanish flu originated in Spain, but most of the information about it was reported in Spain. But why? Because countries participating in the war suppressed news of the pandemic to keep morale high.
Meanwhile, Spain was neutral during the war and was able to report freely on the pandemic. Because most of the information about the flu pandemic came from Spanish sources, Americans and Europeans assumed Spain was the starting point, so the name “Spanish Flu” stuck.[6]
4 Playing cards
While politically motivated renaming is widespread in wars from the 20th century, they are not uniquely modern. An earlier example can be found during the violent French Revolution. A tactic used by some more moderate revolutionaries was to reinforce revolutionary principles using everyday objects, including playing cards. The faces of kings and queens were quickly made as welcome in card games as they were in the rest of revolutionary France.
Along with jackets, they were replaced by new designs and names such as ‘The Spirit of Peace’, ‘The Spirit of Commerce’, ‘Liberty of the Professions’ and the ‘Ace of the Law (of the French Republic)’. These promoted the values that revolutionary leaders and supporters wanted to instill in the public.[7]
3 To put away
Some names made inappropriate by subsequent events manage to slip under the radar. A mountain in Oregon did just that from World War II until 2022. For decades, no one noticed the sadly named Swastika Mountain until New Year’s Day 2022 when a few hikers had to be rescued from it by the National Guard.
After receiving the news report, an Oregon resident named Joyce McClain petitioned to have the name changed. She launched a campaign to persuade the US Board on Geographic Names to rename the mountain, the name of which dated back to around 1930 and preceded Hitler’s rise to power. The board had to weigh its arguments against objections from other parties, such as the Hindu American Foundation, which explained how swastikas had been sacred symbols in various religions for more than 4,000 years.
Finally convinced that the swastika had a different meaning for many Americans after the war, the mountain was renamed. The name Mount Halo was chosen to honor the area’s history, specifically a Native American chief named Halito.[8]
2 Museums
In May 2022, the German-Russian Museum in Berlin renamed itself the Berlin-Karlshorst. Located on the site of the Wehrmacht officers’ mess, where Germany’s surrender was signed in 1945, the museum was opened in 1995 and celebrates the role of the Red Army in Germany’s liberation from Nazi rule. It was funded by the governments of both Russia and Germany, but the rebranding came in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The director of the museum said that renaming the museum to remove Russia from the title was something he had to do, explaining that it was no longer appropriate to give the Russian Federation the status it was given by the joint name. granted. He said the museum is still committed to commemorating the Red Army’s sacrifices and achievements, but stressed that in addition to Russia, soldiers from Soviet states also helped liberate Berlin, including Ukrainians.[9]
1 Art
French impressionist painter Edgar Degas’ Russian dancers was renamed Ukrainian dancers by London’s National Gallery in 2022. While admitting that the timing of the updated name seemed appropriate, the gallery explained how the title had been debated by scholars for years before Russia invaded Ukraine that year.
Modeled after a troupe that fascinated Degas when he saw them perform in Paris, the dancers wear ribbons and garlands in the bright blue and yellow of Ukraine’s national colors. The move was welcomed by Ukrainian nationals in the UK, who have objected to what they described as lazy labeling of artwork. They highlighted how Jewish, Belarusian and Ukrainian art in British museums and galleries was often presented as Russian as if Russia had always been one vast, unified country and culture. Some said this perspective is similar to that which led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10]