Burma Shave 

I am writing this because I want to add to the historical record a now almost long forgotten icon of the mid-20th Century cultural landscape. Burma Shave was originally a brushless shaving cream; by the time I was a boy it was sold in an aerosol can.

Before the mega-lane super-duper highway, travel hither and thither was mostly on 2-laners. Dotting the landscape virtually everywhere were the small red and white signs, placed sequentially over maybe a quarter of a mile. Each sign would have something to say, and the total set was a message. Usually about some driving safety tip. The last sign, however, was the clincher. Burma Shave!

You really had to be there. It was a kid’s treat on a long car ride. Even better than counting cows. And way better than watching a DVD in the back seat on a flip down screen.