The Man Who Saved Christmas When America Needed It Most

In the midst of WWI, America’s factories were producing weapons of war, but one man stood up for the spirit of imagination

Erector set ad in The American Boy, 1918 (public domain)

“In the early days of the great war the American public was dazzled and astounded by the public reports of the contracts for enormous quantities of munitions, at unheard-of prices, that were being placed with our manufacturers by the European allies, and it was regarded as quite natural and fitting that European countries…should turn to America, with its reputation for mechanical ingenuity and ability, and its great factories, for assistance.” — Scientific American, December 23, 1916

World War I, the “war to end all wars,” broke out in Europe in the summer of 1914, following the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Although the United States did not enter the war until almost three years later, American companies were busy filling the growing need for armaments overseas and turning a tidy profit in the process. Many retooled their factories to get in on the action.

Artillery shell bodies are trimmed to the right length in a factory in the U.S. Credit: Scientific American Supplement, December 23, 1916