Nearly every elementary, middle and high school classroom I ever visited contained one of those huge pull-down world maps. The teacher would pull it down and use a pointer to identify those far-away places that, at the time, I never imagined visiting. The world seemed like a very big place from the looks of those maps. But a Chicago businessman started an industry that brings the world closer. Luther Replogle's story is about a product that came to us in a time-honored way-pursuing the American dream.
In the 1920s, Luther Replogle had a job selling sold a variety of classroom and student supplies. But it was the globes he provided to schools that intrigued him. Mr. Replogle had an idea-he believed that every home should have a globe to help the family better understand the news of the day. At the beginning of the Great Depression-a time when stable jobs were hard to find and hard to keep--Mr. Replogle left his job selling school supplies and started a business crafting globes by hand. His business goal was, "A globe in every home."
Mr. Replogle ran his new business out of his home-even manufacturing. Times were tough in the beginning, but in 1933 when the Chicago World's Fair opened, Mr. Replogle's business took off. He received a contract with the Marshall Fields department store to manufacture souvenir globes. In two years time, over 100,000 visitors to the fair purchased a Replogle globe. A few years later, with the start of World War II, people listening to Fireside Chats heard the president tell them, "Get out your globe." Americans listening for news had a tool that would help them understand the developments about the war.
The world changes rapidly, and keeping globes accurate is one of the challenges that a globe manufacturer faces. To ensure the integrity of its products, every Replogle globe has been manufactured with input from government agencies such as the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency to ensure correct country names and accurate political boundaries. Corresponding organizations in foreign countries regularly provide updates to Replogle Globe. Each Replogle globe is designed with attention to in accuracy, assembled with care, and delivered with pride in craftsmanship. This product is synonymous with quality design, innovative style, and precision production.
Anyone who wants to buy a Replogle globe today has a tremendous selection of styles to choose from. If you want a desk globe, you can select a small Replogle globe that is integrated with a desk clock. If you want to introduce a student to geography, you can purchase a globe that shows countries in brilliant colors. You can purchase a Replogle globe that shows not the surface of the Earth, but instead, the constellations in the night skies. For an elegant addition to your home, you can select a Replogle globe in gemstones with gold or silver strips lines of latitude and longitude, or a Replogle globe pieced together with variety of woods. You can choose a crystal globe showing countries in polished chrome, a globe that glows from within with the flip of a switch, and a globe with a leather surface. You can find a floor model Replogle globe, which stand on bases inspired by the works of legendary architects.
The next time you think about adding flowers or candlesticks to your kitchen table, look around your house instead. Put the globe on the table and use it to start a conversation with your family. And don't be surprised, when you check the base, if it's a Replogle globe.