I can't believe I'm doing another post on red dots, but here it is. I forgot to tell you where the red dots actually came from. I did not really forget. I assumed they were just advertising and nothing more. However, a reader in Brooklyn, New York,(yes my only one), looked it up and I'll give you "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. (Who is Paul Harvey? That's a whole different story)
Back in 1938(when FDR was president), there was a big controversy in South Carolina about liquor advertising. Some people wanted to drink and some people did not, a little like today. Rules changed several times and signs were restricted in their size. A liquor dealer in Charleston, South Carolina, paid someone to come up with a sign and then he drew a bright red circle over the ad so it would be more visible. He was inspired by a design on the back of a Lucky Stripe cigarette box.
Most liquor advertising was banned over the years, but in 1968 the red dot was saved. A few more red dots were added to stand out and now they are all over South Carolina. So, when you visit us here in South Carolina, keep in mind that there really are red dots everywhere and now you know where they came from.
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