Civil Defense All Purpose Survival Crackers

[@kieranfitz]

History guy: No ones eaten the 100 year old fruit cake. Steve1989 MRE: Hold my Coffee instant, type 3.

[@danieltaylor5231]

Nice!

[@curiousentertainment3008]

@@danieltaylor5231 let’s put this out on a tray.

[@swj719]

@@curiousentertainment3008 heard heard both of those in his voice. I love that Steve got a shout-out.

[@videodistro]

Type 1! Type 1! He's a fan of type 1.

[@danieltaylor5231]

@@videodistro Exactly that's why he handed him the type 3 keeping the superior type 1 for himself.

[@papaquonis]

"Almost edible" is what I aspire to when I cook anything.

[@tenhirankei]

That's what I call it when I have to "eat my mistake". And learn from it!

[@wendychavez5348]

Don'chaknow! I'm getting better....

[@JS-DeepStar]

In 1971 I helped my grade school janitor move tins of CD Crackers and 10 gallon barrels of CD water. I remember it so well because he let me use a hand truck and I was completely amazed at 7 years old that he allowed me to operate the two wheeled tool. Thanks History guy for some fond memories.

[@theotherwaldo]

I had two cans of those survival biscuits in my travel trailer when my family got stranded in the Siskiyou Mountains in 1973. After almost a month we got hungry enough to eat them. They weren't too bad.

[@briangray5921]

Steve1989 on history guy....nice

[@ronrozen2105]

Let's put this historical artifact on a tray. Nice.

[@erikrick]

Nice

[@LukusCannon]

Nice!

[@PCS1LDV]

Nice hiss!

[@jdgomez775]

Nice

[@elsiestormont1366]

There was a fall-out shelter underneath the auditorium at East Bakersfield High. In the late seventies when I attended, I remember the big barrels of water and stacks of boxes of what I assume were the crackers stored in there. They looked ancient back then and even though we were still in the Cold War era, we never practiced bomb drills so those rations seemed archaic even then. If they are the same age as your crackers then they would be pushing sixty now. I wonder if they are still there? Another interesting detail about my high school is that it is linked by underground tunnels to the county hospital across the street although for high schoolers this has always been shrouded in mystery. The hospital and high school were built simultaneously as WPA projects in the 1930s. It always made sense to me that the tunnels were part of the public emergency plans during the war years. Great story and your cracker tin is a neat artifact. I wouldn't open it either.

[@ChadWSmith]

I was waiting for Steve1989 to be mentioned, and then he was. NICE.

[@U.S.A.1791]

I just started this video and was about to comment about Steve1989. Great content.

[@micahfrye8885]

Nice hiss

[@josifulis]

Alright let's get this onto a tray.....nice!

[@KageRyu1000]

Same!

[@BenWorkmanAnimalFeeMre]

Decadent, and a Nice video!

[@robw2379]

"Don't eat the historical artifacts." -Words to live by from the History Guy

[@richardpehtown2412]

Unless you ARE an historical artifact

[@jonathanstancil8544]

...or Steve 1989.

[@yalelingoz6346]

I think this need to be rated alongside "Don't lick the science" by SciShow.

[@zobblewobble1770]

@@jonathanstancil8544 or Ashens

[@daveo7481]

Me pausing mid bite upon a Ming Dynasty ceramic pottery... "Wait, what?"

[@CodyDockerty]

Let's get this video out onto a tray, nice!

[@rutabagasteu]

Yeah. Steve1989 would eat them !

[@havoc1482]

Mkay!

[@hammer-fn7gm]

Back in the late 60s I was in the Civil Air Patrol. On a few occasions we would clean up the supply room. In there were rations left over from the 50s. We were supposed to toss them out, but opened them instead. The chocolate bars were still eatable as were the crackers, but no one dared eat the other things in there. The payoff for a 16 year old at the time were the cigarettes.

[@mrfancypants29]

I’m 45 years old and joined the CAP this past Spring. We were cleaning out supplies in one of hangar bays and I found many pieces and a couple of complete MREs in dark brown plastic wrapping. Our Commander told me I that they should probably be thrown away due to the scheduled “shelf life” of 3-5 years but that I could have them if I wanted. It is all terribly salty! When I was in USMC Boot Camp in 1996 our Drill Instructors let us eat MREs in this same wrapping except the chocolate turned white and the Tabasco sauce turned brown, the candy also needed to be handed in. We were told to place these in large trash bags and were collected by the DI’s. We were told these MREs were left over from some of the original issue in the 80s. There were such menu items as sausage links which were nicknamed the “4 fingers of de@th”. My 1st MRE was scrambled eggs. That was the worst tasting thing I had ever eaten! Other items were slightly more palatable, especially for a young 18-21 year old. We often collected uneaten MREs and items from them to eat after getting back to the barracks from a field exercise. It’s uncertain how long these military rations are good for. I’ve made it a point to not open the completely wrapped MREs for historic purposes but have thrown the others into my 72 hour kit for use at more opportune times when regular food isn’t available. Best wishes! P.S. Observation, the lady rinsing fallout off the vegetables in the plastic tub in the CD video in 50s was doing so with bare hands and no other PPE on her body… Just thought I’d throw that out there.

Steve1989 is going to LOVE this video!

[@Harshhaze]

"Let's get this out on a tray"

[@fishsmiddy1048]

Nice!

[@andrewmack191]

Someone needs to get Steve that Antarctic fruit cake

[@dave8218]

Nice hisss....

[@jansenart0]

Can't wait for the collab!

[@tonydeleo3642]

I was trained as a fallout shelter manager and shelter manager instructor for my area in Washington State. We had the crackers but also large tins of "carbohydrate supplements". This was the name given to the contents to deter anyone from opening them prematurely. These were actually sugar coated fruit flavored hard candy and, after the shelter were deactivated, most of us ended up with a can of them in our office, they were actually some of the best candy I have ever eaten.

[@ForbiddTV]

These were recalled after the fervor over red die #2 being banned in 1976. By then nuclear scare was waning and most never were never actually returned or destroyed, they ended up in situations like you describe. Sealed tins fetch around $100 today, but since they weigh over 30 pounds, the aren't easily shipped. I have a pallet of them in the warehouse.

[@cecillanter3207]

In 1969 while in Vietnam we used C Rations that were date stamped 1944.... the cigarettes sure were not the best but when there is nothing else they were OK.....and an Army issued can opener was not issued but came with the C Rations, it was a P38

[@01cthompson]

The p38 was the first multi-tool!

[@51WCDodge]

Still a sought after tool, they work!

[@Houndini]

Good ole P38. All our fancy can openers now days. That is still the most trustworthy.

[@louisludlum8030]

After 9-11, an airport TSA worker told me I could not carry my P38 (on my key chain) onto the airplane. I said, “Normally I would comply but it has saved my life so many times, I will just not board.” He said I could go to the airport post office and mail it to myself. That’s what I did.

[@ChiefMac59]

Carry a P-38 on my key ring to this day

[@stevengraham7216]

I was working as a janitor for a small town school in 1973. Most schools were designated Fallout shelters back then. We had a major plumbing leak and the fallout area was flooded. All the cardboard boxes that held the fallout shelter supplies were damaged. We were told to just throw out everything. While doing this. We found the cracker tins weren't damaged at all. They were dated "1963.". We couldn't resist opening a tin and try those ten year old crackers. They tasted like slightly stale saltine soda crackers.

[@annwilliams2075]

Re fruit cake: the traditional wedding cake in the U.K. is a dense fruit cake, made with fruit and alcohol. It has a marzipan layer covered by royal icing and is usually two or three tiers high. The first tier is cut up and given to the guests, who can eat it or, in the case of unmarried guests, take it home and put it under their pillows. If it is under the pillow it is suppose to bring dreams of ones future spouse. 😊 The second tier is cut up and prices sent to those who could not come to the wedding. The third tier is wrapped well in greaseproof paper and aluminium foil put in to a container, plastic or metal, and stored in a cool dry place. This is so it can be used as the Christening cake for the first child born to the couple. In my case this was two years later. And yes it was still edible, smelt wonderful and moist. All that was done to it was the baby’s name and birthdate was piped on it. Shortly I will be making Christmas puddings and a Christmas cake, again full,of fruit and alcohol. Again if stored well they will last for ages with out going stale or spoiling. 😊😊

[@annwilliams2075]

@Dj Luminol it is only a small piece of cake about two or three inches across and 1/2 in thick. 😂😂😂😂 Sorry to hear about your experience with fruit cake, I am sure his baking skills will improve. 😊😊

[@waynebrundidge206]

I’m in the USA. I had no knowledge of the wedding cake tradition. I enjoyed you sharing that information. I love learning new information to me. Be blessed and have a great day. 😎👍⭐️🌟✨

[@k.c1126]

Just typed a summary of this much more detailed and erudite comment. I also don't understand the American antipathy to fruit cake. In the English-speaking Caribbean it is a delicacy served as part of the Christmas season celebration. Fruit is soaked in rum or brandy for weeks or months before the cake is made in October or November, and the cake is again doused in liquor after backing. It's ubiquitous at holiday parties, and there's rarely any fruit cake left by January.

[@k.c1126]

@Dj Luminol Just a slice, not the whole thing .... lol ...

[@k.c1126]

@Dj Luminol Alright.... this explains a question I had in mind.... You have confirmed my suspicion that what Americans call fruit cake and what the rest of English-speaking world calls fruit cake are two different things. .... lol ...

[@Eastmarch2]

'I don't think it's my job to eat the historical artifacts' THG 2020 best quote ever

[@jarcher5626]

I found a can of GI peanut butter dated 1953 on the top of a refrigerator on the living barge assigned to our boat in dry dock , NNSY 1988. It was good.

[@DarkAudit]

Similar story. The Combat Systems office on our barge at NNSY in 1993 had a can of "carbohydrate supplement" dated 1964. Basically just a big tin of hard candy.

[@WHix-om4yo]

Yes indeed. We had PB from C-rations left over from previous conflicts in ROTC during the 70s. It tasted ok but the vets told us that it's best used by sticking a match deep in it and lighting that: this kept the mosquitos away for hours. Cheers!

[@Solocat1]

Yes sir. I have had WW2 "C" ration peanut butter, it is in little cans, fresh and very good.

[@raydunakin]

There is an abandoned mine in the Mojave desert that had been designated as a fallout shelter and stockpiled with cans of crackers and water. Up until a few years ago it was still there. From what I've heard, it's all been vandalized, trashed, or taken since then.

[@billcoggeshall6764]

I don't know what to say the history guy just mentioned Steve 1989 I guess the only thing I can say is NICE!

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Let's get this out onto a tray...

[@micahfrye8885]

@@Backroad_Junkie nice hiss

[@brianartillery]

Zoom into some ham, and say: "Ham." Always makes me laugh, never gets old.

[@stevecannon1774]

I was given 2 Delux Fruitcake form the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana TX. They are the very best and filled with native Pecans. They were ordered online and we ate one Christmas time and I will open the other when we celebrate our birthdays on St Valentine’s Day. My birthday is February 10 and my spouse is Feb 17. (I was born in 1958 and Jerry in 1956) .This will also be 39 years together on the 17th. As a kid in Oklahoma in the 60s, we had duck and cover drills often because of tornadoes but still had the old duck and cover films shown during the Cuban crisis of 62. I started school in 65 so they were still fresh in everyone’s memories.

[@whatsinanameish]

The real question is not 'is the shelf real', but rather, 'is the History Guy wearing any pants'.

[@melvillecapps8339]

He is wearing sweatpants like everyone else on camera during the pandemic (except Mr. Toobin).

[@wendychavez5348]

The KZbinr that I share a home with sometimes records wearing a very appropriate shirt and boxer briefs. I'm still trying to convert him to being comfortable with nudity at home, but like most people with kids he usually has SOMETHING on.

[@simongleaden2864]

Do you mean underpants or trousers?

[@whatsinanameish]

@@simongleaden2864 Trousers. I have this vision of him only having on satin boxers with little hearts.

[@reecetejani9796]

I live in the town where Huntley and Palmer’s Biscuits originated (Reading, Berkshire county, UK). The factory was one of the town’s largest employers and the building complex, situated a few hundred yards from Reading town centre, remains a town landmark. It was said that you could always smell biscuits in the surrounding streets. A branch of the railway used to run into the factory, to deliver coal and export tins of biscuits. The cube tins were made slightly off-square so when stacked in a railway van they sort of wedge together and don’t fall. In the east of Reading is a public park called Palmer Park, donated by George Palmer for the benefit of residents, most of whom worked for Huntley and Palmer’s. A statue stands in the park of George Palmer with an umbrella - well, it is England after all!

[@BHuang92]

Marty Pascal: Jesus, Buckman! This stuff's been on the Stingray since Korea! *This can expired in 1966!* Buckman: (tasting contents of can) What's the matter, sir? It still tastes like creamed corn. Marty Pascal: *Except it's deviled ham!* -Down Periscope

[@edrdnc6706]

All it needs is a little bit of lard.

[@garretvaughn7936]

Love that movie! 😁😂

[@timothyhays1817]

Hot damn I going to watch that movie right now.

[@lelandframe1029]

😆😆😆😆😆

[@patrick8116]

One of my favorites.

[@JohnDoe-pv2iu]

In the 80s, a friend's father used to travel to Europe and buy warehouses of old WW2 era military gear. He collected and dealt with uniforms particularly but bought and sold a little of anything. He was always collecting Nazi marked items. One time when he returned home he had a box with him (most of the items he purchased were shipped to America and took a little while going thru customs and such). Inside the box was a sealed tin containing a sheet cake from WW2. I don't know for sure who had made it but it was labeled in English. He opened it with a can opener and we all tried some. It didn't smell bad and we all lived, but like you said in reference to the twinkies, it was very dry. I love the cracker tin and I wouldn't open it either. I love historic things from the Cold war. Great video! Take Care and be safe, John

[@lawrenceestreich9737]

As a kid in Brooklyn, our apartment building had a CD warehouse in the underground garage. Only relic I kept was a water drum/toilet barrel and a fallout shelter sign. I wish I kept the Geiger counters made by Bendix and a radio along with some candy and crackers. The med kits still had phenobarbital and other goodies in them. We tasted those crackers and let’s say they were like eating a floor tile. I cannot imagine a 7 story building’s worth of people, in that garage that wreaked of gasoline, living in there. They had a bad enough time living as neighbors on the same floors!

[@mikenixon2401]

Lawrence, I'm just interested if like my school class; did you have some "expert" bring in a Geiger and counter and rock to demonstrate how it worked, and of course passed it around to all us kids? Oh, those were the days, but we've survived to tell about it. I think -- The History Guy is our good example -- we need to share these details before they are long forgotten.

[@memathews]

Oh yeah, the Geiger counter and rock experiment, passed around to show us how air distance would lessen the effects of radioactive fallout. That and atomic bomb drills during the Cuban missile crisis.

[@rumi9005]

Lawrence. You're comment confused me on first reading. When I lived in Canada there was a chain of stores called CD Warehouse. So I simply couldn't understand your comment. Then I realized that CD stood for Civil Defense. About the crackers - I wonder if they might have ALWAYS been like (what our modern sensibilities would describe as) 'eating a floor tile'. After all, they were meant for basic nutrition, not as merely a carrier for cheese or peanut butter etc.

[@richardpehtown2412]

In 2000 while installing a power panel for an X-RAY machine at a medical clinic built in 1974, we discovered a perfectly preserved (looking) glazed doughnut within the wall. Not desiring to unleash a curse, we carefully re-interred it and carried on with the project.

[@rickyusa1000]

Very wise move. Fear the curse of Donutankhamun!

[@justincase2291]

In 8th grade [1977] we did a field trip to Bonneville Dam. I remember stacks of boxes stacked everywhere. When someone asked what they were we were told "crackers" in case of a war.

[@PurpleRhymesWithOrange]

Around 1987 while doing utility work in tunnels under the University of Minnesota they broke through a wall and found a 1950s civil defense shelter that had been forgotten more than 30 years. The shelves were still stocked with canned food and water. They opened a random assortment of cans and found all were still edible.

[@batterymakermarkii2654]

Heh, edible. They used that word...

[@ChadWSmith]

THEY FOUND REAL WALL CHICKEN!?!?

[@HSMiyamoto]

I think I remember hearing about that. Class of '86 me.

[@insideoutsideupsidedown2218]

You know you are important when The History Guy mentions you. And TIK mentions The History Guy. Its a beautiful circle

[@TheDCpicker]

STEVE1989 HAS ENTERED THE CHAT! NICE HISS!!

[@demandred1957]

Damn... beat me to it..

[@dbmail545]

I first thought of him too!

[@Colty045]

Nice!

[@angelbangtana9885]

lets get this onto a tray.... nice!

[@W7DSY]

DC, YOU beat me to it!

[@mattinmontana7901]

My grandfather worked as a Civil Defense coordinator in the 60's and 70's, I've eaten alot of those crackers growing up. Also in some of the shelters CD had 55 gallon cardboard barrels of drinking water and 25 pound cardboard containers of hard rock candy. The flavors were only lemon or cherry, it was to supposed to increase the daily calorie count and give energy. Ate the candy well into the early 90's and still here. Thanks for the great topic and a stroll down memory lane, keep up the great work.

[@ForbiddTV]

You got some inaccuracies there. The water barrels were steel 17.5 gallons which made them easier to move around. The cardboard barrels were the same size as sanitation kits with a toilet seat and toilet paper inside. The carbohydrate supplements ("candy") were steel tins about twice the size of the cracker tins he showed in the video and weighed 32-37 pounds (depending on manufacturer). I have many of said examples on pallets in the warehouse.

[@kellyvaters1689]

Eek. The "carbohydrate supplements" would not have been safe to eat; the red ones contained Red Dye #5.

[@lordg69]

That’s crazy you mentioned the University of Montana and those crackers being found. I’m from there and Missoula itself has old tunnels underground that have been around forever. Tons of stories about why they were built/used and I’ve been fortunate enough to go into them to explore. Crazy how the tunnels still lead into the back of businesses and you can move around that way. What amazed me was they had storage all throughout these tunnels and I’ll never forget the stacks of tins full of survival crackers. Thanks for the history and memories!

[@DanQuoLives]

I was a graduate student in the early 1980's. My building (engineering built in ~1962) had fallout shelter signs and a room full of supplies. I helped throw out the contents of the room and take down the signs - none of which I kept. I recall that the contents of the room included small drums of water that were supplied with custom-fit plastic toilet seats and plastic bags. There were hundreds of boxes of cracker tins, large cans of peanut butter, jars of stool softeners and a big jar of barbituates. Picture the grim shelter life as you drank your water, ate your crackers with peanut butter and used the stool softeners before refilling the drums and swallowing barbiturates to get some sleep. Repeat for weeks. We did try the crackers and peanut butter. Both seemed okay but were dry and probably not very appetizing when new. The crackers were made with a lot of cornmeal and were hard to swallow.

[@masterimbecile]

Scurvy causes spontaneous bleeding because Vitamin C is needed to help the body build collagen, which makes up the support structures for stretchy/elastic tissues (e.g. those found in blood vessel walls and in the skin).

[@flagmichael]

It still occurs, too. About 25 years ago I noticed my teeth were getting very cold sensitive, to the point I had to brush with very warm water. Then I realized the pain was immediate, before the temperature soaked inside the teeth... it was my gums hurting. When I realized I had not been consuming much in the line of fruits and vegetables, I got a bottle of vitamin C and took them twice a day. Within a week the sensitivity was gone. Lesson learned.

[@simongleaden2864]

I've been taking one gramme a day of Vitamin C for many years. I have fewer colds than I used to.

[@josephdestaubin7426]

It's not the job of the historian to eat the artifact....just classic. I have written both posts and academic papers where I have started sentences with "It's not the job of the historian to...". But never did I consider a sentence like that! Thanks for making me smile.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

Hard tack also clean teeth and makes your coat shiny!💯

[@davidlyon1899]

Best comment.

[@lightweight1974]

I've heard it's also an aphrodisiac.😀🤣🤣

[@davidgiancoli2106]

Woof!

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

@@lightweight1974 I've eaten hardtack, and didn't find that to be the case.

[@lightweight1974]

@@johnh.tuomala4379 You're supposed to eat it? Wow, I've been using it wrong... don't tell my girlfriend. 😀

[@MariaMartinez-researcher]

That guy in the film, reading a booklet about surviving an atomic bomb, with a cigarette in his hand.

[@Jollyprez]

When stationed at Ft Gordon ( army ) Georgia in the early 1980s, the chow hall regularly served WWII rations as sides and even main courses. Sometimes the taste was, "interesting."

[@robertstrickland2121]

I was there in 81, USAF det, army chow halls were pretty sad compared to AF chow halls, guess this is why...

[@Pilgrimdave1960]

Dude, you're such a treat. Truly happy I found your show.

[@davesilverman3325]

Lance, in the middle of the 70's I and my teen aged friends went into a WWll air raid shelter and made off with several cans of survival crackers just like the can you have (except ours were made in 1942) and we ate them and even enjoyed them. In fact, we liked them so much we went back and nabbed several more cans. We ate them with peanut butter, cream cheese, jam and every conceivable way you can imagine. We thought it was a hoot! Anyway, just thought you'd like to know. Great video, as always!

[@georgeroy8509]

Great episode. Look forward to all your history moments. As an aside, I grew up on a dairy farm in northern Massachusetts where my mother canned everything. At 69 years old I opened a jar of her canned peaches from the late 50s. They were still as good as remembered as a kid. Thanks for keeping history alive.

[@richardsforrest]

Reminded me of eating C rations while in the Army that were dated 1946. I was eating them in 1972.Tasted just like all field rations; especially enjoyable eaten unheated at night while sitting in an uncovered foxhole during a rainstorm, in the mountains of northern Georgia, during the winter.

[@DavidWilliams-so2dy]

I remember C rations from my Army years 81-86. Everyone disparaged them but I found them very palatable except for the ham and eggs.

[@ttun100]

What I've always noticed on the shelf was the replica of the red British mail box. I grew up in the Bahamas and we have them there, complete with E II Reigns on them, and over 50 years later, she still does to this day.

[@anonnymousperson]

This is why I love the History Guy, he doesn't pander with unboxing videos.

[@richardmoramarco6754]

Have had carbohydrate supplement , were still good a few years ago. Ate many of them made of corn syrup and sugar Canned in 1963.

[@Gradius6]

Always happy to see more History Guy videos. I appreciate that he delves into interesting historical topics that often get overlooked in traditional classroom settings.

[@missing_score2]

i grew up in the uk, i lived with my grandparents, and my gran used to make her christmas cake (a dark fruit cake with a layer of marzipan and then white icing on top) in august. the cake would then sit there until christmas eve. it was a loooong wait.

[@tangydiesel1886]

I was going to say something about steve1989mreinfo, but I see others already have. I am not disappointed.

[@DawnOldham]

I’m curious now- what are you and many others referring to when you mention Steve1989? 😁

[@DieselxRobot]

@@DawnOldham If you don't know who he is, he has a KZbin channel where he collects and tries out many types of military MRE ration packs. He is famous for having tasted things like beef from over 100 years ago. He is mentioned in this video about having eaten 150 year old hard tack.

[@ThraceVega]

@@DawnOldham also, his fans have decided that every time he goes without uploading for an extended period of time, he has died of botulism. It happens frequently.

[@DawnOldham]

Diesel Robot Thank you for clueing me in, and so quickly! I enjoy this channel very much and again, thank you for taking the time to answer!

[@DawnOldham]

R B that is so funny!

[@jedirevan1582]

My grandpa showed us a bunch of them in a mine in Utah. We didn't try to open any but some were damaged and decayed while most were intact. It was from the 60s.

[@sarajenkins3485]

Nice hiss!! Let’s get that on a tray. Who would LOVE to see a History guy / Steve collaboration

[@4shink]

A close cousin of Hardtack is the Sailor Boy brand "Pilot Bread" currently manufactured by Interlake Foods, Richmond, Va. and available on the Net. "Pilot Bread" also known generically as "Pilot Biscuits", is made with nutritionally fortified flour, palm oil and salt....no scurvy risk here but the texture and taste are identical to hardtack. Pilot bread/biscuit is ideal for expedition purposes as it is light, durable and is a useful replacement for soft bread products. From my personal experience with arctic canoe trips, Pilot biscuits are perfectly useable even after complete soakings...simply place on a rock in full sun...let dry completely...repackage as needed. Another advantage is that after consuming two pilot biscuits as P-B-and J sandwiches and drinking a tin cup of water, the biscuits will expand in one's stomach and eliminate hunger for the next 8 hours +/-. Great stuff and still plays a role in contemporary travel ventures.

[@CB-jk3ue]

Let’s get this out on the Internet, nice Yes yes I love Stere MRE! He shares the history and the taste. I discovered him before The History Guy. I get excited when I see either of y’all put up a new video.

[@RealWolfmanDan]

Your ability to make a subject as seemingly mundane as a tin box of crackers not just interesting, but entertaining and thought provoking is nothing short of amazing. Bravo sir.

[@6412mars]

Steve 1989...Nice hiss! lets get this on a tray..Nice!!

[@michaelroberson2546]

History Guy, you and I share a presence at Northern Arizona University. Likely not at the same time as I crammed 4 years into 6 from 74-80. But I did live in the dorms there and as you know, NAU has a series of tunnels under the campus for steam pipes for heating. In the basements of these dorms were civil defense rooms. These rooms had stacks of these crackers along with several barrels of water. When I was an RA in one of the dorms I had keys to the basement rooms and thus access to the tunnels and CD rooms. My fellow RAs and I in either 76 or 77 broke open one of the tins. As I recall the manufacture date was 1962 but I'm not sure. For 15 year old crackers, they weren't bad but I sure wouldn't want to have 6 a day for 2 weeks. Best regards from an old Lumberjack!

[@frankturrentine]

oh hey! I'm a history nerd and a huge fan, and I just got off work and find myself catching a new vid a few minutes after it came out. Thank you!

[@frankturrentine]

I'd love to see stories about the cavalry forts that sprang up in Texas before the Civil War.

[@frankturrentine]

I was a HIstory major at the University of Texas and will always remember my historiography professor and my paper on Gibbon. I varied between being a medievalist and a Civil War scholar. I was out of high school before it occurred to me that not everyone in the US was required to learn Texas history in high school. There were some fascinated episodes in the history of Texas forts, however, Lee served for a time at Fort Griffin, I think. And Sherman was around during that time. There was an interesting circumstance in Texas in that for almost a generation after statehood it remained in a state of constant conflict because of the Comanche. My farm was on the Brazos River just west of the DFW metro area. Not only were there many ancient middens on that stretch of the river, but it was essentially the old Comanche trail that they followed to south Texas to raid Mexican and Anglo settlements to steal women and horses. There were so many interesting people on both sides of that conflict, like Cynthia and Quanah Parker. But there were many more. Additionally, there were hot springs along the Rio Grande and there is a story there that includes Pancho Villa. I'd love to see your take on any of those episodes.

[@jamesturner2126]

THIS IS A GREAT EPISODE! 👍🏿

[@thetangieman3426]

One year in the late 70's we were realllllly poor and ended up eating these over the holidays. Pretty much tasted like other crackers. But clearly they were older than I was. 😅

[@Fitzwalrus06]

A friend worked at a local library in the mid-'70s when they were clearing out the old fallout shelter. He snagged a couple of cans of these crackers, and being eternally-hungry teenagers and college students we gave them a try. They were edible if not delicious: a bit stale tasting and kinda crumbly, but the whole can eventually disappeared and we all survived. 😁

[@rosetownstumpcity]

when people ask me to recommend good channels this is always in my go-to 3... thank you for producing this content

[@jimgrieme1961]

I cannot remember how I first came across your channel. You are always informative, well-researched and immensely entertaining! I have two degrees in history and I am constantly amazed at the amount of research I understand you have had to do in order to produce such fantastic content! I grew up in Illinois and my family lives in the St. Louis area. Thank you for doing such a wonderfully accurate job in relating stories from the parts of history that are far too easily forgotten! Blessings!

[@jackyancey6379]

History guy you are the man! I thoroughly enjoy every episode and am enlightened on various historical facts on random things you cover a wide variety of topics and I have to say all that you do, deserves to be remembered.

[@dantheman3214]

I'm hoping that one day we have a, "Forgotten History of Billiards 🎱".

[@JackG79]

That would actually be SUPER interesting!!! THG, can we get this please?!?!?!?!

[@Cujo2447]

Can that be covered in 15 minutes??

[@JackG79]

@@Cujo2447 2npart show?

[@alexmladen]

Walter Lindrum

[@crossleydd42]

An analysis of dumpster contents would be very interesting.

[@robertmorris2388]

We still had the sign for civil defense shelter on the side of some of our buildings as I remember, and in the basement were cardboard containers of medical supplies marked for defense use. They tried to be prepared. Even now I think we should be for life’s unexpected stuff. $500 to 1000 in the bank, food and fuel for at least 72+ hours. Candle, batteries, radio, you know the common provisions needed to keep you warm and safe.

[@clearsmashdrop5829]

Whole heartedly agree. 72 hours of food and water is a must for any household. Not too hard to accomplish either.

[@michael7324]

I’m a big fan of Steve1989. “Let’s get it on a tray. Nice.”

[@dabuya]

Your video brought to remembrance the air raid drills of my elementary school days. I also remember the fallout shelter signs in my school building. Thank you for this piece of history that deserves to be remembered.

[@LTDunltd]

Late 70's to mid 80's being on flight duty, I ate many C-ration & the newer MCI rations. The first time our crew were issued MREs we found that the 'heating' units were removed, 'due to aircraft safety'. We learned that we could put 6 of our hot food packets on top of the nav computer and they would be warm it about 30 minutes, so half of the crew would eat now and the second half would eat later. Once they installed a cooler, aka mini fridge, we started getting meals from the Flight Kitchen and the ration meals were history.

[@michaelmanning5379]

My grandfather owned a commercial cookie bakery, Manning Biscuits. He won a contract from the Canadian government to bake survival cookies that were to give you all the nutrients you need and have a 99-year shelf life. He tried one from the first batch and decided that, if that's what survivors would eat for a life in a bomb shelter, he and his family would stay on the surface and take their chances under the rain of Soviet A-bombs.

[@geneard639]

When I was stationed in this one carrier, the Mess Cooks pulled out a crate of 'spam'. 6 cans, buldged, dented, corroded, discolored... And the Supply Officer demanded it be used. MS1 checked the lot number and said it was made in 1943.... Supply Officer said 'use it'. MS1 took the one can of spam, fried it up by himself and didn't let anyone touch it, didn't serve anyone but....the Supply Officer who loved fried spam sandwiches. The next morning the Ships Surgeon came down to yell at us, but after hearing about the antique spam laughed and said "Well, he earned what his got then" which was the worst case if food poisoning you can imagine.

[@mikeb984]

Thanks!

[@skyden24195]

"Taste like chicken" jokes.... always a winner. lol.

[@CFRF13]

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

[@panagea2007]

Perfect description of hard tack. So dry and hard it resists bacteria, insects...and teeth.

[@Based_n_Boredpilled]

"All Purpose" = food and building materials all in one.

[@cdigames]

Thanks for linking my video about eating old crackers! What a great surprise!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

My pleasure! Nice to meet you! You are a brave man- I assume the crackers did not cause "gastrointestinal distress?"

[@cdigames]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Absolutely none! They were quite good with some preserves atop them as well!

[@cdigames]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Finally off of work and able to watch the video. Loved it! For the record, I saved the lid of the cracker tin as a memento!

[@atenachos6282]

"Let's get this forgotten history out onto a tray... Nice."

[@167curly]

Lance, your very varied historical subjects are fascinating. My two cents about old food is that at English weddings as well as the wedding fruitcake being ceremonially and jointly cut at the reception by the newlyweds, small sealed boxes of the same fruitcake are given to the guests as they leave. An uncle & aunt of mine who were married in September, 1937 found one of those boxes over fifteen years later, and the cake was very tasty; possibly as it was well preserved with brandy? At Bermudian weddings the top tier of the wedding cake is traditionally frozen and saved for the baptism of the couple's first child.

[@steveanderson9290]

During "service week" in boot camp in 1970, I was assigned to work in the stock room at the mess hall. The cooks would order lists of ingredients from us with which to prepare the meals they served...pallet loads for every meal. I was shocked to read the production dates stamped on the boxes of canned food we sent them. Most were packed during WWII, almost 30 years earlier.

[@turpialito]

And stories like these are why I became a History Guy subscriber. Thanks, mate. As always, an unexpectedly delightful video. Cheers!

[@TheKulu42]

I can remember when brochures filled with bomb shelter plans -- one which could stand in as a bar until you needed to avoid nuclear fallout -- were passed out to us in elementary school. Overall, I think these plans plus all the "Duck and Cover" stuff and tips for washing fallout off your vegetables were designed to be morale boosters rather than actual survival tips.

[@imchris5000]

as long as your not directly under a bomb your pretty good to go the usa is a huge place they cant nuke every inch

[@51WCDodge]

Bulldust the Public with Survial Advice to keep them fat, dumb and happy. Why is that sounding familiar all of a sudden?

[@georgemckenna462]

Civil Defense Preparedness for nuclear war was and is a propaganda ploy for the gullible.

[@alissathorell895]

Yay Steve 1989 MRE! I was waiting for this crossover to happen. 😊

[@bruceberg5375]

My mother was a principal of a school that had many cans of crackers. We fed them to our hogs.

[@southernpacific4319]

The History Guy...making history more palatable...one crumb at a time!

[@grimreaper6557]

Steve 1989 has an awesome channel on survival foods some very old he ha tryed some that were scary old and still breaths hahah so some things do survive longer then they should thank you for this awesome video as always great information

[@rutabagasteu]

Oldest I have seen him eat wss hard tack from the 1860s.

[@legoeasycompany]

@@rutabagasteu Dude also ate beef from the Boer war, that cow had been dead for 10 years before the Titanic sank and he made it into porridge

[@ForbiddTV]

Yes I have sold pallets of these tins to many that make KZbin videos of them opening and trying them. The general consensus is a rancid oil taste.

[@Traderjoe]

My nephew bought a house a few years ago and the guy who used to live in the house had made a kind of fallout shelter in the basement and had a room full of those tins and big barrels of water and Geiger counters and other stuff. The tins looked in good shape and we opened a few and tried the crackers, which were from the 1950s and they were edible. But did not taste great. We gave them to our chickens to eat and they were fine.

[@mackfisher4487]

On forward bases in Nam we mostly ate C-rations, poundcake was treasured as one of the only things that tasted good. When one would break open a case of C-ration boxes a small flight would incur to retrieve the cans of poundcake.

[@12yearssober]

Personally my favorite was the green water drum that after being emptied could then serve as a toilet with a powder included to help with odor.

[@h.h.6171]

Aren't you.....dead??

[@stephenhammonds2834]

Let's get this out on a tray, NICE!

[@robertschemonia5617]

Civil defense all purpose crackers, cement mix, tank armor patch, sandbag fill, roof patch, and more! If you can think of it, these puppies can do it!

[@51WCDodge]

Britsh Military equivalent Biscuits Brown AB, ditto! :-)

[@lightweight1974]

But can you make a boat out of it?

[@Whammytap]

I think the biscuits are actually pretty tasty. Haven't tried the crackers.

[@robertschemonia5617]

@@lightweight1974 Well yeah, just use the "peanut butter" from MREs as glue, heat until cured using the meal heater pack, and voila! Boat. Lol

[@Brucey69]

Your performance skills have improved so much. I’ve always loved your content, but your delivery required improvement. I think you’ve come a long way!! Thanks for the videos :)

[@HikuroMishiro]

"I don't think it's my job to eat the historical artifacts." Out of context on a t-shirt would probably get some baffling looks.

[@a-a-ronbrowser1486]

By far one of my favorite channels!

[@piatpotatopeon8305]

I literally cried out loud in exhilaration when you mentioned Steve1989mreinfo. I had to explain to a nearby coworker what was going on.

[@videodistro]

Nice.

[@brandonsebastian1334]

What kind of job do you have that you can watch THG at work?

[@piatpotatopeon8305]

@@brandonsebastian1334 I was on my break. It would be a pretty cool job if I could watch THG on the clock.

[@divarachelenvy]

Loved this one. When I was in the Army Reserves( Aussie) in the early 1980's we had Vietnam era "Rat Packs" (C rations)..

[@h2odragon1]

When King Tut's Tomb was opened, they found some Crystalized Honey! Whet they heated it, it melted and became Honey again, which they said was good!

[@D-Rock420]

Just saw your membership video, comments are turned off so I'm commenting here. I'd love nothing more than to become a member, but I've been struggling financially for the past few years and have just now started getting back on my feet. Once things are settled, The History Guy and Active Self Protection are going to be my first stops at youtube membership. Love your work, keep it up!!!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

No worries at all- we love our subscribers!

[@jasonpayne1240]

😂...tastes like chicken...well done History Guy!!!

[@fharrisstowe]

Note: The Civil Defense carbohydrate candy supplements canned in the 1960's should NOT be eaten. Packed in 37 pound tins of yellow and red pellets, the red dye used is now known to be carcinogenic - although as a teenager I thought the candy tasted ok. I think my kids finally destroyed the last 2 cans about 5 years ago....

[@thedungeondelver]

"Let's get these out on a tray. Nice."

[@squillz8310]

I never knew a video about the history of crackers would be so fascinating to me. You make these videos so well and so digestible, keep up the incredible work!

[@tyroberts2261]

I ate some in grade school in the 60’s. They contained high levels of iodine which is useful if you’ve been dosed with radiation. Iodine has a bad aftertaste.

[@eetadakimasu]

I love the book 'the twinkie deconstructed'! Thank you for quoting it and for this video. I saw an urban exploration video a few months ago and they found hundreds of barrels of survival crackers in a school and tried them.