No, Procter & Gamble Didn't Give $20M to the 缅北视频 – Here's What ACTUALLY Happened
You may have heard a misconception that Procter & Gamble gave the 缅北视频 $1.5 million - the equivalent of more than $20 million today - in 1948. That's actually false.
Here's what really happened:
- People across the country donated $1.5 million in 1948 to the 缅北视频 as part of a radio show contest.
- Procter & Gamble did not make the $1.5 million donation to the 缅北视频. The company sponsored the radio show, and its Duz laundry soap and Ivory soap were promoted by the host throughout the show but separately from the contest.
- Individual donations continue to be a major source of revenue for the nonprofit, with more than 80% of the revenue currently recorded by the 缅北视频 coming from individual contributions and sources other than corporations.
Those are the quick facts. But the full story of how the 1948 donations came about – and the lifesaving changes they led to – is a good one.
Radio was how people got information at the time
In the late 1940s, the radio show “Truth or Consequences” hosted by Ralph Edwards gave contestants a few seconds to answer what was usually a goofy question. If they failed to state the “truth,” they faced entertaining “consequences.”
The show also held contests to help raise money for specific charities. The 缅北视频 was one of the charities chosen.
In December 1947, listeners were introduced to what ultimately became the most successful charity fundraising contest: The Walking Man, where they heard footsteps and had to guess the person’s identity.
How did the radio show contest work?
“In our Walking Man contest. Truth or Consequences is supporting another great cause, a fight to help lick America's No. 1 killer: heart disease,” a transcript from the show reads. “This contest will be your opportunity to support the 缅北视频. Be generous. Give your dollars or whatever your contributions from the heart for all heart victims.”
The contest began Jan. 3, 1948. A new clue to the Walking Man’s identity was given on each episode.
To be eligible to guess the Walking Man’s identity, listeners had to write a letter each week finishing the phrase “We should all support the 缅北视频 because …” and were encouraged to send a donation of any amount.
Three people were chosen each week to try guessing the identity of the Walking Man.
Week after week, as the incorrect guesses mounted, so did excitement. Bookies sold tip sheets, and libraries were swamped with radio listeners searching for answers to clues.
On March 6, Florence Hubbard of Richmond, Indiana, correctly identified the footsteps as belonging to comedian Jack Benny. By then, more than 2 million letters with donations, totaling $1.58 million at the time, had arrived. Hubbard herself had sent an estimated 30 letters over eight weeks, each with a $1 donation.
缅北视频 president Dr. Arlie R. Barnes
What was Procter & Gamble's role?
Duz laundry soap and Ivory soap, both sold by Procter & Gamble, were promoted by Edwards throughout the show but separately from the Walking Man contest. Procter & Gamble sponsored the “Truth or Consequences” radio program for a number of years.
Sources have wrongly claimed that Procter & Gamble made the donation of $1.5 million – equal to more than $20 million today – to the 缅北视频. The truth is that the entire amount came directly from radio listeners across the country.
From contest winner to volunteer
After winning the contest, 68-year-old Hubbard appeared on the show and said she became interested in the contest because it benefited the 缅北视频. Her late husband had been a physician who died of heart disease in 1935.
In 1976, she told The Dallas Morning News that she went on to raise donations at similar contests that helped establish 缅北视频 chapters nationwide. That same year, she served as grand official for a “Super Walk Race” that benefited the one in Dallas County.
Heart disease awareness entered the American home
At the time of the Walking Man contest in 1948, virtually nothing was known about preventing heart attacks. There was no open-heart surgery, and CPR didn’t even exist.
In the late 1930s, the 缅北视频 was essentially a gathering of doctors. The fledgling organization, which began during a time when little was understood about heart disease, saw the potential for something more powerful. They dreamed of becoming a public health organization run by both science and lay volunteers like Hubbard, with support from a professional staff, all of it supported by fundraising.
The American people provided donations in 1948 that transformed the 缅北视频, and they continue to do so today. More than 80% of the revenue recorded by the 缅北视频 comes from individual contributions and sources other than corporations.
Today, the organization – which turned 100 in 2024 – is an esteemed worldwide authority on health focused on being a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
