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“Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

Smokey the Bear has been around for as long as most of us can remember, reminding us to follow safe fire practices in the backcountry. However, Smokey’s message – and even the bear himself – didn’t have much to do with campfires at first. His story actually dates to World War II and has a definite Washington flavor to it.

In one of the more creative publicity stunts D.C. has ever seen, the Curtis Bros. Furniture Company commissioned Bassett Furniture to construct a giant chair in Anacostia. Then, the company then convinced a local model to live in a glass apartment atop the chair for seven weeks in the summer of 1960.