Today, as a public service, we bring this illustration from the September 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics, which is just as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.

The drawing, which is clearly labeled “WRONG,” shows the housewife unplugging the radio by yanking on the cord.  The illustration in the lower left corner, shows the correct way, namely, by firmly grasping the plug.

The artist perfectly captures what appears to be a cavalier attitude on the woman’s part.  While she was probably otherwise the pinnacle of efficiency, the magazine pointed out that bad connections and broken power cords were the result of such treatment. It was a particularly bad idea in the case of the table radio, since it probably had a “curtain burner” cord, which would withstand few such jerks before causing the receiver to develop crackly noises or simply refuse to work. But even with plain line cords, then or now, the plug was easily damaged.

The magazine even noted that rubber-covered plugs were not plentiful, so this woman’s treatment of the strategic material was practically unpatriotic in wartime.

As far as we’re concerned, it’s still unpatriotic.  If you love your country, then you should unplug appliances by firmly grasping the plug.