War isn’t just fought on battlefields. Propaganda plays a huge role, shaping public opinion and controlling information. Sometimes, this leads to everyday things getting renamed to distance them from the enemy. Let’s explore some of the weirdest wartime renamings throughout history.
1. French Fries and French Toast
In 2003, during the lead-up to the Iraq War, some U.S. lawmakers weren’t happy with France’s opposition to the invasion. As a symbolic protest, three Washington cafeterias renamed French fries to “freedom fries” and French toast to “freedom toast.” It was a pretty ludicrous gesture, but it showed how even food names could become political. While some restaurants followed suit, the name didn’t stick, and relations eventually improved.
2. Towns
Believe it or not, renaming towns was common during both World Wars. Before that, there were a lot of towns named Berlin. Take the one in Colusa County, California, for example. They received a telegram during World War II asking them to change their name due to anti-German feelings. Surprisingly, they ignored it! Why? Because they’d already changed the name 26 years earlier because of World War I. Another town, Germantown, was reportedly forced to change its name after soldiers damaged the train station upon seeing the sign.
3. The Royal Surname
King George V of Britain had a serious PR problem in 1917. After three years of fighting Germany, anti-German feelings were high. The problem? The royals had German ancestry! His cousin was the German Kaiser, and his wife was German. Their family name, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, screamed German roots. So, the King changed it to the more British-sounding “Windsor” to save the monarchy.
4. Dog Breeds
Even dog breeds weren’t safe! In 1917, the German shepherd dog’s name was changed. These dogs were used by both sides in the World Wars, but with Germany as the enemy, the name didn’t sit well. The American Kennel Club dropped “German,” while the British went further, renaming them “Alsatians,” after a French town taken over by Germany in an earlier war. The original name was officially restored in 1977.
5. Coffee
In the early 1900s, Parisian cafes loved to copy Viennese coffee culture. Café viennois, a sweet coffee with whipped cream, was popular. But when World War I started in 1914, anything German-sounding became unpopular. Since Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was fighting with Germany, cafe owners quickly renamed their café viennois to café liégeois. This new name came from Liège, a Belgian town that bravely slowed the German advance, giving France time to prepare.
6. Spanish Flu
The Spanish Flu pandemic didn’t exactly get its name *changed* by war, but World War I definitely shaped it. The flu probably didn’t start in Spain, but Spain was neutral and freely reported on it. Countries involved in the war suppressed the news to keep morale up. Because most news came from Spain, people assumed that’s where it started, and the name “Spanish Flu” stuck.
7. Playing Cards
Politically motivated renamings aren’t just a modern thing. During the French Revolution, some revolutionaries used everyday items, like playing cards, to promote new ideas. Kings, queens, and jacks were replaced with figures like “The Spirit of Peace,” “The Spirit of Commerce,” and “Liberty of the Professions,” all to instill revolutionary values.
8. Mountains
Sometimes, inappropriate names slip under the radar for a while. Swastika Mountain in Oregon was one of those. Named around 1930, before Hitler’s rise, nobody noticed it until 2022, when hikers had to be rescued from it. An Oregon resident, Joyce McClain, campaigned to change the name. After considering arguments from various groups, including the Hindu American Foundation (for whom the swastika is a sacred symbol), the mountain was renamed Mount Halo to honor a local Native American chief.
9. Museums
In May 2022, the German-Russian Museum in Berlin rebranded itself as the Berlin-Karlshorst Museum. This museum, located where Germany surrendered in 1945, celebrates the Red Army’s role in freeing Germany from the Nazis. It had been funded by both Russia and Germany. The name change came in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The director said it was no longer right to give Russia the recognition of a joint name, although the museum still honors the Red Army’s sacrifices.
10. Art
Edgar Degas’ painting, Russian Dancers, was renamed Ukrainian Dancers by London’s National Gallery in 2022. The gallery said scholars had been discussing the name for years, but the timing felt right after Russia invaded Ukraine. The dancers wear ribbons in the blue and yellow of Ukraine’s flag. Ukrainian nationals in the UK had objected to lumping Jewish, Belarusian, and Ukrainian art together as Russian, as if Russia had always been one big, united culture.
War and conflict can have strange and unexpected consequences, even influencing the names of everyday things. These renamings offer a glimpse into how societies react and adapt during times of upheaval.
What do you think about these wartime renamings? Let us know in the comments below!
